Shadowland - Blue Dragon Beginning
by Aynslesa
Summary: Everybody knows the story of Yui Hongo, Seiryuu no Miko. But who exactly IS Seiryuu? Where did he come from? Why did his shichiseishi turn out the way they did? This is his story. Welceme to Shadowland: the prequel to the Universe of the Four Gods.
1. What the Gods Won't Tell You

**Shadowland**

**Blue Dragon Beginning #1**

**_What the Gods Won't Tell You_**

****

**Chapter One**

**  
**

**Shinku no juutan ni nita**

**Kono yo no hana wa mina omote**

**Sono shita ni nagareru yami******

**The worlds flowers like a carpet of crimson red**

**As one scatter and toss through the air**

**Sorrow and sadness are born there**

  


"MIAKA! WAKE UP!" 

"Wha --?" _THUMP!_

Keisuke Yuuki cringed when he entered his sister's room and say her lying on the floor, tangled up in her blankets. The once Priestess of Suzaku looked completely undignified wrapped up tightly like a butterfly in its cocoon, the only thing visible being her head as she glared up at him. "Keisuke," she whined, "why can't you ever just wake me up normally?"

"I did," Keisuke said, "about an hour ago. You went back to sleep. Taka, Yui, and Tetsuya are going to be here in about thirty minutes, and you're still fast asleep. How are you ever going to graduate high school if you keep –"

"Taka?" _Zoom. Keisuke blinked as the blur known as his sister untangled herself, raced for the bathroom, and slammed the door behind her. A few seconds later, the sound of the shower running could be heard from the other side of the door. _

Keisuke sighed and retreated back to his own room, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling it over his head. Compared to the disaster of Miaka's room, his own room was a welcome change. And there was actually an hour before their friends arrived – he'd just upped the timing to get Miaka going. Sometimes you had to be devious to get what you wanted. 

Lying on his desk was a worn, leather-bound book with the title written in Ancient Chinese script. Smiling ruefully, Keisuke settled into his desk chair and opened the pages to the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho, or the Universe of the Four Gods as it was more commonly known as. The book had caused a lot of trouble for them in the past, but it had also brought a lot of memories, too. 

Sighing, he put the book down and turned back to his running computer. He was searching for anything newly published on Ancient China and Japan on one of the superstores on the net, although he wasn't expecting much. After all, he had the largest collection right in his room. That left very little space for anything else, but it made him happy. 

Scrolling down the list, he sighed as he recognized the names of several of the same books. 

And then on caught his eye. 

_Republished, the information read. __Fantasy._

He made it a point to never get fantasy stories, since you could never be certain what fact and fiction were in them. Even the Universe of the Four Gods was considered a reference book. 

What made him look twice was the name of the author. 

The same author that had written the ancient book that sat beside him. 

He clicked on the title. 

There wasn't much information. The story was called **Shadowland. It was a fantasy story about warriors from the stars, ancient Chinese gods, and other things that sounded like they belonged in a fantasy story.**

And one that sounded very familiar, and very real, to Keisuke Yuuki.

Without hesitation, he clicked on the _Buy button, and wondered what exactly the Shadowland was._

***

_There once was a story about a young girl who collected the seven stars of Seiryuu, and made her dreams come true. _

_There once was a story about a young girl who collected the seven stars of Suzaku, and made her dreams come true. _

_There once was a story about a young girl who collected the seven stars of Byakko, and made her dreams come true._

_There once was a story about a young girl who collected the seven stars of Genbu, and made her dreams come true._

_But just who were Genbu, and Byakko, and Suzaku, and Seiryuu? _

_Just who was Taiitskun, the Creator?_

_And where did these Stars come from?_

_This is their story. _

_The Shadowland. _

_The prequel to the Universe of the Four Gods. _

Her name was Hishino. She was not your average female. She did not want to learn the fine arts of cooking, or of managing a house, or of raising children. 

She had a much higher calling. 

She was to be the Creator. 

But for now, she was just Hishino. She and a few others were in training by the current Taiitskun, on the fabled mountain of Taityoku. They all tended to keep their distance from one another, but Hishino did have one friend. Her name was Skyla, and she was an unusual breed. She was the last of the goddesses, the title given to her people by the ancient prophets of the Five Kingdoms. She had arrived with her three children in tow only eight months before, and Hishino had taken it upon herself to watch out for the young mother, who was already pregnant for what would be the last time.

Skyla was pregnant with twins. 

According to her people, there was a legend of two twins that would be born, one of darkness and one of light. In the same legend, the mother of the twins would not survive the birth, leaving the two to fend for themselves in the world. When Skyla had discovered she was to give birth to these twins, she took her other children and came to Taityoku. 

Hishino sighed and brushed her long silver hair away from her face. She was afraid for Skyla. She didn't want her friend to die, and leave her children alone. The oldest was three, then two, then one. And the newborns would make the total count five. This was unusual as well, because according to Skyla, most of the females of her race only gave birth to one or two female babies. They used ordinary human men for the fathers. 

But all of Skyla's children had been male. 

"Ms. Hishino?" a small voice asked from the doorway. Hishino turned to look at the little boy standing there, his green eyes wide. Hishino had always found Skyla's children remarkable. Each of them had one main color, and a symbol on their forehead in that color. Strangely, none of the colors could be found in their lineage, according to Skyla. But she didn't seem disturbed about this. She seemed to know something about her children that no one else did. Behind the boy, his two brothers stood watching. The youngest seemed frightened, a direct contrast to the older one's strength. The middle brother, the most feminine of the three, seemed indecisive about his feelings. 

Hishino knew what was happening.

"It's time, isn't it?" she murmured softly. 

The oldest nodded. "Hai. Mama wants you to come right now."  

Hishino drew in a deep breath and stood up, her silver hair flowing down her back, bright and vivid against the black robes she wore. She stooped down and picked up the youngest boy, stroking his red  hair as he buried his face into her shoulder. The white-haired child stood close to her, indicating that he, too, was afraid, but didn't want it to be obvious. The green-haired boy walked in front of him, purpose and responsibility evident in his demeanor, unlike normal three-year-olds. 

But then, none of these children were normal, were they? 

The door was closed. The oldest child opened it, then stepped aside to let Hishino through. She set the youngest down and walked over to her friend.

Skyla lay there on the bed, sweat dripping down her face from exertion as she was gripped with another contraction. "I'm here," Hishino murmured. She moved to her position at the end of the bed and smiled at her friend. "How far along?"

"Not…long…" gasped Skyla, her purple hair almost black with sweat. She tightened her hold on the sheets, threw her head back, and howled sharply as the pain grew to be too much. She prayed to the deities that they would allow her children – her sons, for she knew that's what they would be – to survive the ordeals that lay ahead of them. 

Hishino could see the first child beginning to appear. "That's it, Skyla," she urged. "Just a few more…that's right…now…push!" 

Another howl ripped through the air, and was then followed by a second, much smaller cry. Hishino immediately motioned for the oldest boy to bring over a clean blanket, and wrapped the newly born son in it. She placed him in a small bed just in time for the next set of contractions to take Skyla. 

Fifteen minutes later, the second twin appeared in the world. 

This one did not cry, not like his brother. He just stared, unfocused, at the woman holding him. Again, his oldest brother brought a clean towel, and again, Hishino wrapped him up tight. Then she brought him over to his mother. 

Skyla held the younger twin, thoroughly exhausted. Yet she didn't protest when Hishino placed the older of the two in her arms as well, and both began the much needed first feeding. "You did it," Hishino said, smiling at her. "And you're alive."

But even as she spoke those words, Hishino knew that her friend, so pale and fragile now, would never make it to sunrise. 

"My babies," Skyla whispered, looking at her new children. The other three, now that their mother no longer seemed in pain, ran up to the edge of the bed and tried to look at their brothers. The oldest could see easily, and if the middle stood on his toes, he could, too. But the younger one needed Hishino's help to see his brothers…not that Hishino minded. She had always had a special place for the fire-headed boy. 

"Kaasan?" whispered the oldest. 

Skyla turned her head to look at him. "Genbu," she murmured, touching his hand lightly with her fingers. "Byakko." Here she reached for the yellow child, her pure baby, but could not quite reach. Byakko, instead, reached for her instead. "And Suzaku." Hishino held Suzaku closer, so that he, too, could hold his mother's hand. 

"What will you call the little ones?" Hishino wanted to know. She knew it was necessary that Skyla name them, before the unthinkable happened. 

Skyla drew in a shuddering breath. The two twins had stopped nursing, and were now looking at their mother. She looked at her sons, blessed with the colors of silver and blue. "Tenkou," she whispered, naming the Silver One. "And Seiryuu." The Blue One reached a little hand up to his mother, but could not quite reach. 

"Hishino."

Hishino leaned in close to Skyla. "Yes?"

"Please…take care of them," Skyla whispered. "I fear for them…especially Tenkou. Promise me…promise that you'll take care of them."

Hishino smiled sadly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I promise." 

"Arigatou," murmured Skyla. "I'm so tired now…I have to sleep." 

Hishino gently set Suzaku down, then took Tenkou and placed him back in the small bed that he had been in before. Then she removed Seiryuu from his mother's arms. The little twin caught a strand of his mother's violet hair in his fist, and refused to let go. Tenkou began to whimper at being separated from the nourishment he had been experiencing, but Seiryuu just stared at Skyla. 

"May I sleep, Hishino?" Skyla whispered. 

"Yes," Hishino replied softly. "You may sleep."

Skyla closed her eyes, and never woke again.

***

It was late that night when Hishino finally returned to her own quarters. She knew that in the morning, she would have to face Taiitsukun, and the two would need to decide what to do with the five children. Skyla's people would never accept them, but would it be right to keep them on Mt. Taityoku? Out of all of the shrine maidens, only Hishino could tolerate Genbu, Byakko, and Suzaku. And now there were the twins to be concerned with as well. 

Hishino sighed and sat at the table near the back of the room, where a pile of papers lay. She lifted the brush from its ink and began to scrawl her thoughts and worries. 

_The children are already feeling the strain of their mother's death. Genbu tries to be strong for his brothers, I know, but he is still only a child. Byakko is in a state of denial, but I can still hear him quietly sobbing from his room, even though I put them to bed hours ago. Suzaku seems to be the least affected, however, he had asked before he went to sleep if his Kaasan could come and give him a kiss goodnight. Fortunately, he fell asleep before I could answer. _

_Seiryuu and Tenkou, of course, don't know anything is wrong. They never truly formed an attachment with Skyla before she died. Although I do think Seiryuu senses something isn't quite right – he isn't as vocal as Tenkou, but he's very clingy. He still has not released his mother's hair – I had to cut the strands from her body before the Nyan-Nyan took her away. I couldn't bear to watch them bury the body. _

_I keep thinking about the prophecy that Skyla told me about. How one twin would be of the light, and the other of darkness. I look at Seiryuu and I look at Tenkou, and I wonder which of them will be which. I think that as long as they are here, I will treat them equally. That way they will both have a chance at being the Child of Light. _

Hishino dipped the brush back into the ink, and glanced out the window. She smiled slightly as she stared up at the stars. 

_The constellations are unusually bright this night, particularly the ones to the east. I'm so glad that Taityoku is featured in the center of four empires, because I do so love to watch all twenty-eight constellations. Strange, but it seems that of all the Eastern Constellations, it is Kaku that shines the most. As if it is somehow connected to the birth of Seiryuu and Tenkou. _

_It's getting late, and I know I will have a hard day ahead of me tomorrow. I can't help but hope that Taiitsukun will allow the children to stay – I've grown fond of them, particularly Suzaku. And the twins will need someone to raise them to way their mother would've wanted them to be raised, and since I was Skyla's only friend, I feel that I could be the only possible one to fill in that place. _

Hishino stifled a yawn, and decided that it was time to go to bed. She stood up, and glanced once more out the window. As an afterthought, she quickly scrawled a note on the bottom of the page.

_Kaku has never shown this brightly before. _

***

_In the center of the Kutou kingdom…_

A soft melody filtered through the night sky. A young woman, her stomach large with pregnancy, stared up at the sky. "The stars are shining brightly, my love," she said, smiling at the man playing the flute beside her. She touched her swollen belly. "Something important has happened."

"Oh?" her husband asked, amused. "And what do you suppose it is?" 

"I don't know," she replied. "But I sense that it's important to our child." Suddenly she gasped. 

Her husband stood up and took her hand. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

She smiled. "Your daughter just kicked me," she said wryly. 

"Let's get you back inside," he said. "We can't risk our child in any way. And what makes you so certain that it's a girl, anyway?"

"Because there are always six girls and one boy," replied his wife. "And never has the man fathered the boy. She will be a girl."

"But will she inherit Kaku, or will she inherit Ko?" the man mused. 

"That, my love, is a question for another day," his wife replied. 

***

_Three weeks later… Tokyo… Present day…_

The sound of the doorbell caught Keisuke's attention. He muted the television and hurried to the door, hoping that it was what he was expecting. 

"Package for Yuuki Keisuke," the mailman said, holding out a clipboard. "Sign here." 

"Arigatou," Keisuke said, quickly scrawling his name, then taking the thin package from the man. 

A few minutes later, he was sitting up in his room and opening the cardboard box. The book inside was leather-bound and old, with a slight musty scent. Not quite what he was expecting. But the name on the front was the name of the book that he had ordered: **Shadowland. **

There was nothing else on the cover. 

"Let's see what this is all about," he murmured, opening the cover. The book was written, to his surprise, in Ancient Chinese.

_The website said it had been translated into Japanese, he thought uncertainly. He looked at the first page, and suddenly forgot about all of the technicalities. _

_Introduction: A History of Shadowland_

_by The Creator Herself_

_To the One who Reads this Passage:_

_I have chronicled the history of this land in these pages, compiled from the thoughts and feelings of each of the characters. _

_This is the ensure that everything that is written here is the utmost truth, from the thoughts and feelings to the actions and consequences. _

_This tale travels from the Northern Land to the Southern Land, from the Western Land to the Eastern Land. _

_A warning to those who read further than this page. _

_To believe is to be forever connected to destiny._

Throat suddenly dry, Keisuke turned the page, and began to read. 

"It has been close to eighteen summers since the Mother of the Gods died," he read slowly, hesitantly. "The land has been divided into Five Kingdoms, at the behest of The Creator. The Northern Land shall be named Hokkan. The Western Land shall be named Sairo. The Southern Land shall be named Konan. The Eastern Land shall be named Kutou. The Center Land shall be named Shoku. 

"The Tortoise God Genbu has already left to claim his kingdom, as has the Tiger God Byakko. Now it is time for the Phoenix God Suzaku to travel South and claim his place as Konan's Guardian."

Keisuke knew he should call Miaka. 

But he continued to read. 

**Chapter Two**

**  
**

**Kanashimi wa soko kara umare**

**Aa, kokoro sae itsuwatte ikiruno ka**

**Hito wa sademe ni ayatsurareru dake**

**From the darkness that streams underneath**

**Ah, are hearts only meant to lie? **

**Are people just puppets of fate**

  


"I don't see why you have to go _now, though. My birthday's in a week! Can't you just stay until then?" _

Nineteen-year-old Suzaku sighed and looked up from his packing. The room that he'd used as his own for the past eighteen years was practically bare now, just like the green and yellow rooms down the hall. This entire wing had belonged to the five Beast Gods – even now, the fact that they were seen as 'gods' amused Suzaku. The mortals had taken to calling them that, but the truth was that Suzaku and his brothers were really no different from the humans that paid homage to them. Or, rather, to Genbu and Byakko. Soon to Suzaku, too, as soon as Konan accepted him.

Right now, though, being accepted by the royal family of Konan wasn't Suzaku's biggest trial. No, his biggest trial was the blue-haired teenager standing behind him. 

"I told you already," Suzaku said to his brother. "Today is the anniversary of when Genbu left, and when Byakko left as well. In a year, you and Tenkou will be leaving as well. I have to go according to the cycle, in order to make everything work right. You _know that, Seiryuu."_

Seiryuu leaned against the doorjamb and pouted, his otherwise fierce features situated in an almost comical expression. Though not quite as masculine as Genbu, or as feminine as Byakko, Seiryuu was definitely more defined than his brothers. He worked out on a regular basis, keeping in shape, and was quite arguably the best looking of all five of them. Tenkou, even though they were twins, presented a darker outlook than Seiryuu.

But then, Tenkou was absolutely crazy, so that made sense. 

Seiryuu and Suzaku were probably the closest of the five brothers. Genbu had grown up too fast, and Byakko spent most of his time in a world of his own. Tenkou constantly thought up ways to drive the current Taiitsukun, their Aunt Hishino (although they didn't call her that to her face, out of respect), and the Nyan-Nyan up the wall. Taiitsukun got a lot of mallot mileage thanks to him. But the Dragon and the Phoenix had bonded early on in life, which explained why Suzaku's departure was effecting the young Seiryuu's more than those of the two older brothers. 

"But I'm going to be _eighteen!" whined Seiryuu. "__Su-za-ku! Plea-ease!" _

Suzaku cringed. Seiryuu was a champion whiner (he could turn a one syllable word into two – one had to give him credit for that) and quite often whenever he started whining, Suzaku could never say no. Unfortunately, this time he didn't have much of a choice. Taiitsukun would kill him if he even thought about putting off the pilgrimage.

Suzaku walked over and placed his hands on his brother's shoulder, looking down at Seiryuu. "Listen to me, Sei. I have to go, and I have to go today. There's no way around it. But I'll tell you what – no matter what happens in Konan, I will be here for your birthday. Whether the royal family has reached its decision by then or not. I promise."

Seiryuu pouted. "You promise? Really?"

"Of course." Suzaku placed a brotherly kiss on Seiryuu's forehead. "I'm not going to leave you to celebrate with only Tenkou. I'm not that cruel." He smiled his trademark half-smirk. "Deal?"

Seiryuu may have been the best-looking, but Suzaku was definitely the charmer. He had all the shrine maidens swooning after him. "Deal," Seiryuu said, managing a small grin of his own. "So how long until you leave?"

Suzaku glanced out of the window to look at the sun. "I'm out of here when the sun is high in the sky. I've got a couple hours. Why?"

"Want to go to the northern fields?" Seiryuu suggested. "For old times sake." 

His brother knew better. Their mother was buried in the northern fields, which were easily the prettiest place on the mountain. Almost none of the shrine maidens went to that area, save the caretaker, so Seiryuu and Suzaku often went there to just hang out with each other. Seiryuu had used to try and get his twin to come, but Tenkou was too busy plotting how to either seduce the newest shrine maiden (they'd lost about a dozen potential maidens because of him, since shrine maidens had to be pure to take the oath), or some other incredibly annoying thing. 

It didn't take them long to get to the northern fields, since both of them had the added abilities of flight. They had inherited a _few powers from their mother's people, but other than that, they were largely untrained. But they were more powerful than the average mortal. _

"Hey, Suzaku, can I ask you something?" Seiryuu asked after they had landed and begun making their way to Skyla's grave. 

"What?"

"Why do we do this? Take the kingdoms, I mean. It doesn't make sense."

"It was Aunt Hishino's idea," Suzaku replied. "You were too young to remember, but for a long time, the five kingdoms were at each others' throats. Kutou wanted Konan, Konan wanted Sairo, Sairo wanted Hokkan, Hokkan wanted Kutou, and they all wanted Shoku. So Aunt H decided that there needed to be peace among the five kingdoms. Being The Creator, she could make those decisions. She gave the emperors of the five kingdoms ultimatums – allow one of the five 'gods' (that when we were granted that term) to protect each kingdom, or risk being dethroned and having the boundaries wiped out and the kingdoms started over. Each emperor decided they'd like to stay on the throne, and agreed. 

"The theory behind it is this: by having one of the five brothers guard each kingdom, each of the kingdoms would be connected with the others. Therefore, Hokkan's land would also belong to Sairo, Konan, Kutou, and Shuko; Sairo's land would also belong to Hokkan, Konan, Kutou, and Shuko; and so on and so forth. Also, by having the brothers there, peace is pretty much a guarantee. I mean, come on – would any of us willingly wage war on our own kin?" 

"It makes sense," Seiryuu admitted. "But don't the royal families have the power to decide they don't want that particular god?" 

"Right," Suzaku said, nodding. "I can go today, and be rejected tomorrow. Then an entire year would go by before you or Tenkou could go to Konan – don't ask me why, Aunt H made the rules. In that year, Konan would be vulnerable. I doubt Emperor Yinou would take that chance. I'll be accepted." 

"I wouldn't be too sure," Seiryuu said worriedly. "I've heard stories about Yinou. He's not a very pleasant person. I hear that the people of Konan can't wait until Saihitei takes the throne. They like him much better than his father."

Suzaku looked at Seiryuu, amused. "Who told you this?"

"Sashi," Seiryuu said, naming the only shrine maiden who ever came to the northern fields. She often took care of their mother's grave when they couldn't make it. Seiryuu glanced up at the sky. "We're running out of time. Last one to Kaasan is a limp Chinese noodle!" Laughing, he took off towards the clearing their mother lay in. 

"Cheater!" shouted Suzaku, racing after his brother. "Get back here!" 

**Chapter Three**

**  
**

**     Tada, itoshiki mono dakishime**

**Chiisaki mono mamoru tame**

Kyou mo dare ka ga sakebu 

**     Only to embrace those we love**

**And protect those small and precious******

**Today again someone shouts that out**

  


Two hours later found the older of the two ready to leave for good. Suzaku fastened his packs to his horse, and looked over at his brother. "Relax, Sei," he said. "I promised I'd be back, right?"

Seiyuu nodded. "Right." 

"Suzaku."

The Phoenix looked beyond Seiryuu, at another young man who looked almost identical to the first, except his coloring was silver rather than blue. "Tenkou," Suzaku said. 

Tenkou walked up and grasped his older brother's hand. "Safe journey, Suzaku," Tenkou said formally. It was no secret that the two didn't get along very well, but they were still brothers, and still cared for each other. Even if Tenkou was psychotic. 

Behind Tenkou came a middle-aged woman and a younger girl. The middle-aged woman was Taiitsukun, and Suzaku was stunned to find tears in his eyes when he looked at her. Taiitsukun had raised him and his brothers when their mother had died giving birth to the twins, although she hadn't been Taiitsukun at the time. When the previous Taiitsukun had died, Hishino had taken over. By accepting The Creator's power, Hishino had immediately begun to age. Although she was technically only in her late twenties, she now looked twice her age. 

"I'm going to miss you," Taiitsukun said, wrapping her arms around the redhead. Suzaku embraced her back, holding her tightly. 

"Take care of them," he whispered to her, meaning his brothers. 

"Of course," she whispered back. 

The girl behind Taiitsukun stepped forward. "Gambatte ne, Suzaku-kun," she said, bowing. 

"Arigatou, Sashi-san," Suzaku replied, stepping forward to hug her. Sashi had come to Mt. Taityoku when she was ten years old, badly injured and barely able to speak. Suzaku had helped nurse her back to health, and had been thrilled when she had decided to become a Taityoku shrine maiden. The two had formed a solid friendship, and Suzaku would be sorry to say good-bye to his friend. She herself had been born in Konan, but for reasons she refused to speak of, she would not return there. 

"It's getting late," Taiitsukun said. "You should be going."

Suzaku nodded and mounted his horse. Leaning over, he held out his arm. Seiryuu clasped it in a warrior's shake, at the wrist rather than the hand. "See you in two weeks, brother," Suzaku said. 

"In two weeks," Seiryuu agreed. He stepped back, and with a click of his tongue, Suzaku urged the stallion forward. 

The Dragon God stood there watching until his brother had galloped out of sight. Then, sighing, he turned back towards the palace. 

"Don't look so gloomy," his twin said. Tenkou smirked. "Now that Big Brother is out of the way, what do you say the two of us have some fun? There's a new visitor to the temple who's looking to be a shrine maiden. I'm sure she wouldn't mind the two of us visiting her for awhile."

"I don't feel like it," Seiryuu mumbled. He tightened the sash around his robe and walked slowly towards the wing that was now going to seem so empty. Tenkou watched his brother walk away, a hurt expression marring his handsome features. Then the expression was gone, replaced by his usual cocky grin and mischievous eyes. Whistling softly, he hurried off in the direction of the temple and his latest conquest. 

Sashi watched him leave with disapproval. "You need to do something about him, ma'am," she said, her green eyes narrowed. 

"I promised myself long ago that I would treat the twins the same," Taiitsukun said. "I don't tell Seiryuu what he has to do and when he has to do it, so I don't tell Tenkou, either."

"With all due respect, Seiryuu has never needed supervision," Sashi replied. "Tenkou does." 

Taiitsukun frowned, but said nothing else on the subject. Sashi sighed inwardly. She had grown up with an older sister who was very different from her, and knew that when raising children, a parent or guardian couldn't treat them all the same. Each one needed special attention for their own needs. She knew that Taiitsukun was worried about the Darkness and Light Prophecy, although Sashi didn't know the specifics of it. And she wasn't sure that she believed what did know.

But she had to admit, she liked Seiryuu. And she was often terrified of Tenkou. 

"What do the stars tell you today, Sashi?" Taiitsukun finally asked, changing the subject. "How will Suzaku fair?"

Sashi looked up at the sky. She knew the stars were up there, although they weren't visible at the moment. "Sho tells me that he will have a safe journey," she said finally, fingering the golden and ruby ring on her right hand. "Beyond that, I don't know."

Taiitsukun sighed. "I see. Thank you, Sashi. I'm going to my rooms now. I feel tired." 

Sashi watched her mentor and teacher leave, and frowned. _Taiitsukun has been tired often lately, she thought. __It worries me. After a minute, she shrugged off the eerie feeling, and headed for the northern fields to tend to the flowers around Skyla's grave, unknowing of the eyes that followed her. _

Tenkou clenched his fist as he peered around the tree he had hidden behind, watching the young girl. Sashi was one of the few shrine maidens who had completely spurned any of his advances. In his opinion, she was lucky he had shone any interest in her. A normal mortal would never find her appealing, with her twisted leg and the bandages that she wore over her skin. But he had liked her eyes. He had wanted to be friends with her. But she had pushed him away, and denied him friendship. 

It was the story of his life. 

Well, he wouldn't be living in the shadow much longer. Technically, Seiryuu was the youngest, but the way Taiitsukun treated him, _he might as well have been the last born. Tenkou spun around and headed for his room. They would think he was at the temple with the new maiden-in-training. No one would disturb him for hours. _

Tenkou's room was the one place that _no one was allowed to enter. His brothers had decorated in their colors, but Tenkou despised silver. He thought it made him seem like an old man. So he had decorated in black. Black also helped conceal most of the equally dark furniture. _

In the corner of the room was a black tapestry that concealed a smaller room. It was to this hidden room that Tenkou went now. It was to this room that he had gone when Byakko had left, and Genbu before him. 

Tenkou smirked as he observed the two small crystals that sat in the middle of a small alter. Trapped in the green crystal was a small tortoise, which glared up at him as he walked up. In the yellow crystal, a little tiger was pulled into itself, neither looking at him or at anyone else.

"Hello, Brothers," Tenkou said, smiling. "How are you enjoying your stay?" 

Genbu and Byakko did not reply. Not surprising. They never did. They couldn't speak.

Each of the gods had been given a certain animal deity - Genbu the tortoise, Byakko the tiger, Suzaku the phoenix, Seiryuu the dragon, and Tenkou's own wolf. Tenkou thought it was pretty clever to trap his older brothers in the bodies of their chosen animals. 

The delightful thing was that Hokkan and Sairo had no idea that their "gods" were missing. Once the royal families had accepted them, Genbu and Byakko had retired to their respective temples in the center of each kingdom. There, they had gone into "seclusion", casting their will through their "followers" – who, of course, worked for Tenkou himself. 

He removed a wrapped object, and removed the red crystal from the black cloth. Inside the object, a sleeping bird lay. Soon, Suzaku's spirit would be fused with this bird, and Tenkou would be one step closer to his ultimate goal.

Hokkan, Sairo, Konan, and Kutou were all larger kingdoms that Shuko. It wasn't fair. Why should Tenkou, who wasn't even the youngest, get the smallest of the kingdoms? He had always suspected that Taiitsukun favored his brothers over him, and this was just another bit of proof. 

He set the red crystal next to the other two, then turned to the mirror mounted on the wall opposite the altar. "Show me Suzaku," Tenkou said to the mirror.

The glass fogged, and then cleared. There was Suzaku on his roan stallion, galloping in the direction of Konan. He was making good time. He would reach there before nightfall. Tenkou decided that he had an hour before he had to begin his vigil over the mirror, watching his brother's every move. It was necessary that he trap Suzaku at just the right time, before Genbu and Byakko could attempt to warn their brother. For some reason, Genbu had managed to contact Byakko and warn him just after Byakko had arrived at his temple. Fortunately, Byakko was a weak fool, and Tenkou had still managed to trap him. But Suzaku was stronger. Tenkou would not take any chances. 

_Soon, he thought. __Soon._

**Chapter Four **

  


**Kono inochi sae mo nagedashi**

**Toki no naka e moetsukiru**

**Sono isshun ni kuchizuke o**

**Sacrificing even their life**

**To smolder in the midst of time**

**With that instant's kiss**

  


Suzaku sighed as he looked around the landscape that surrounded him. He'd been traveling all day to reach Konan, and now he was finally beginning to see signs of the capital city. If he could get there before nightfall, it would make a better impression on the royal family. Despite his assurances to Seiryuu before he left, Suzaku secretly felt afraid of rejection. He had heard that the emperor was a hard man to deal with. 

And then, suddenly, he was there. Konan. He halted his stallion and gazed down the hill at the capital city. It was nowhere near as clean and peaceful as the other capitals Suzaku had seen. Compared to Kutou, it was horrifying. _Perhaps, when I have a larger say about the kingdom, I can start cleaning this place up a bit, he thought. But first he had to get the emperor's approval. _

As he approached the gates, they began to open. An armored figure on a war horse approached him. "Are you the God Suzaku that the Creator promised would arrive?" the soldier asked, his voice a soft tenor. 

"Hai," Suzaku said, nodding. "And you are?"

"General Karrae of the Konan Imperial Guard," the soldier replied. "I'm to escort you to the palace."

"General?" Suzaku repeated, impressed. "You're awfully young to be a general."

Karrae smiled tightly. "I'm a fast learner, and I'm gifted with many talents, particularly my strength. It is for that reason that I was chosen to be the personal guard of the princess, Yohko."

"So I'll probably be seeing you a lot," Suzaku replied.

"Not so much," Karrae answered. "You'll mostly see the emperor. I am the princess' guard – and the palace women are meant to be seen and not heard." Karrae rolled his eyes to show his opinion, then bowed his head. "Forgive me. I'm used to talking at will with my lady so much that I sometimes forget respect." 

"It's all right, Karrae," Suzaku assured the youth. "I won't tell. It doesn't matter much to me, anyway. On Mt. Taityoku, all are treated equally, and none of us have reserves towards any others." 

"Really?" Karrae asked. 

Suzaku nodded. "Really."

Karrae looked down at the ground, a somewhat wistful look on his face. "Must be a wonderful place, then." 

"Is something wrong?" Suzaku asked, concerned. He reached out and touched Karrae's arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Karrae replied, almost absently. "We're almost to the palace. I'll have to leave you at the main building, seeing as my place is with the princess in the women's building."

"The women have to live separately from the men?" Suzaku asked in surprise.

"Only the women of the palace," replied Karrae. "It has been the Konan way for years." He glanced up at the sky. "I must go now. Just go to the guards at the entrance and tell them who you are. Perhaps we'll see each other again, Suzaku." He flashed Suzaku a quick smile, and then urged his horse forward into a canter, disappearing down a deserted lane that twisted around the perimeter of the main building of the palace. 

Suzaku watched him go for a minute, then pushed his stallion to a trot and hurried up to the front guards. The guards stepped in front of him and looked at him. "Who are you?" questioned one of them.

"Please tell the emperor that Suzaku, God of the Southern Lands, has arrived as prophesied by Taiitsukun, the Creator, herself," Suzaku announced. 

The guards looked at each other uncertainly, but Suzaku's unusual coloring and the symbol upon his forehead made them inclined to believe him. One of them bowed to Suzaku, then hurried inside the palace. 

The other guard looked at Suzaku and said nothing, a surprisingly change from Karrae's carefree attitude. Then the guard looked beyond Suzaku, and narrowed his eyes. "Hey!" He darted forward into the marketplace crowd and grabbed the arm of a young woman with long teal hair. "What do you think you're doing, woman?" 

The girl gritted her teeth and wrenched her wrist out of the guard's hand. "Merely buying my family something to eat," she practically snarled at him. 

"Where did you get that money to buy this food?" demanded the guard, pointing to the bag of coins in her hand. "I know you! You don't have any means of making money! Your father is sick and cannot work!"

"And it is the emperor's fault that that is so!" hissed the woman. "But if you must know, I earned this money myself, offering protection to some of the outer villages!" 

"How could you possibly offer protection?" someone in the crowd called. His companions roared with laughter. It was then that Suzaku realized that many people had stopped to watch this exchange, and most of them were men. The women in the crowd merely went about their business, heads hanging low, as if they were embarrassed by the girl. 

Suzaku was still trying to figure out what the guard was making a fuss about. Although yes, the idea of one person single-handedly protecting a series of villages sounded somewhat farfetched, he had a feeling that this woman was perfectly capable of managing it. She was short and compact, and although every part of her body was covered, he could still see the well-formed muscles on her arms and legs. 

"A weak female such as yourself could not protect anything," argued the guard. He grabbed her arm again. "Now admit that you stole that money and hand it over!" 

"Get your hands off of me!" she snapped, trying to pull out of his grasp again. This time he was ready for her, and twisted her arm around her back to maintain his grip. 

Suzaku didn't like this. He was about to interfere – although he didn't know if that would do _any good – when the woman reacted swiftly. She drove her elbow into the guard's stomach, and pulled out of his grasp when he loosened his grip. Then she spun around and delivered what seemed to be an impossibly high kick for someone so petite right into the guard's chin. He clutched his face and stumbled back, then sank to the ground. _

"Insolent woman!" a man shouted. "You dare attack a member of the Emperor's guard?!" Suzaku could see more guards moving towards the scene swiftly.

He urged his mount forward and stopped in front of the woman, blocking her from the guards. "Leave her alone!" he commanded. "She was provoked in her attack, and was merely acting in self-defense. That guard should be the one punished!"

"And who are you to be giving orders, boy?" demanded another guard. 

"What's going on here?"

Suzaku, the guards, and the woman looked up to see General Karrae making his way towards the commotion. Walking swiftly beside him was an elegantly-dressed girl of about seventeen whom Suzaku assumed was the emperor's daughter, since Karrae had told him that he was the princess' guard. The princess looked at the woman and frowned. The woman frowned back, and for a moment, it seemed as if the two of them were speaking only with their eyes.

"This thief attacked one of the guards when he inquired her about her stolen money!" a villager shouted. 

"She stole money in plain sight of a guard?" Karrae inquired.

"Iie, General," Suzaku said before anyone else could speak up. The woman looked up at him, surprised. "The guard merely saw her buy several loaves of bread, and accused her of stealing to get the money. When she explained that she had earned it herself, the guard accused her of lying and then proceeded to attack. She was only acting in self-defense." 

Karrae frowned, but considered Suzaku's words seriously. He walked over to the woman. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

The woman looked up at him, and nodded. "Hai," she replied. "It is as he said." 

Karrae nodded, then turned to the crowd. "There is nothing to see here," he commanded. "You may continue to go about your duties." He turned to Suzaku. "And I would advise that you go to see the emperor now. I believe he's waiting." He motioned to the first guard, the one who had gone to report to the emperor. The guard was waiting by the entrance of the palace, and he seemed impatient. 

"Yes," Suzaku agreed. "Thank you, Karrae-kun." 

Karrae only nodded, then took the arm of the princess and led her away. Again, the princess and the woman exchanged glances. 

"Thank you," the woman said to Suzaku unexpectedly. "No one has ever stood up for me before."

"This wasn't the first time you've been accused of stealing?" Suzaku asked.

"No," the woman replied, and now, upon seeing her more up close, Suzaku decided that she couldn't be much older than the princess. She just carried herself more maturely. "But that doesn't mean that I do. If you're ever in need of assistance, I will be at your service." She bowed in respect. "My name is Leviathan. Mention that name, and anyone will be able to tell you where to find me." 

"I am Suzaku," Suzaku replied. "I thank you, Leviathan-san. And I may hold you to that offer someday." 

Leviathan smiled at him, and Suzaku felt his face heat up for some reason. "I look forward to that, then. Ja ne, Suzaku." She bowed again, then checked to make sure she had her bread and left. 

Suzaku turned back towards the palace and once again urged his stallion forward. _A strange girl, he thought. __I sensed something about her, something different from the other villagers. I sensed the same thing from Karrae and the princess, although somewhat different. _

"The emperor will see you now," the guard replied. "Leave your mount with me and enter. He does not like to be kept waiting." 

Suzaku nodded and dismounted, then handed the reins to the guard. "Take care of him. I may be using him again soon." _The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can head back to Taityoku for Seiryuu's birthday. _

"Presenting the Phoenix God Suzaku!" announced one of the guards as Suzaku entered the throne room. 

Seated at the other end of the throne room were two people, both men. One was  older and more distinguished than the other, but Suzaku took an immediate dislike to the man. He figured that this was Emperor Yinou. 

Suzaku came forward and kneeled before the emperor. "I am honored to meet you, Emperor," he said formally. 

The Emperor nodded. "Rise and show me the symbol on your forehead."

Suzaku stood and brushed his bangs out back. The red symbol that had been part of him since he was born stood out in bright red.

The Emperor nodded. "It is the same as that which Taiitsukun described," he said. "Very well. We accept you as the god and Protector of the Southern Kingdom, Konan." 

_That was easy, Suzaku thought. "I am honored, Emperor." _

"My family is at your service," the Emperor replied. The younger man, seated in the throne beside him, cleared his throat. "Oh, yes. This is my son, Saihitei. He will someday take my place as Emperor. I expect you will give him the same respect that you give me."

Suzaku looked at Saihitei, immediately preparing to dislike the young Emperor-to-be. But to his surprise, he found himself immediately liking the boy's kind appearance. _He must get that from his mother. "An honor," he said to Saihitei. He turned to the Emperor. "I will go to my temple now. But I'm afraid that in a couple weeks I must take a day or so to myself. I made a promise to a special person that I must keep."_

Yinou nodded, but there was a gleam in his eye that Suzaku didn't completely trust. "Of course. You may go now." 

_Cocky bastard, Suzaku thought before he could stop himself. He restrained himself from saying anything, bowed, and headed for the part of the palace that would be his own. He followed behind his guard escort silently. _

The guards stopped outside a set of elegant doors. Suzaku nodded in thanks and pushed them open. 

He stepped inside, and they closed behind him. 

_SUZAKU! NO! LEAVE THIS PLACE!_

The frantic voice echoed throughout the shrine. "Nani?!" he exclaimed. "_Byakko!"_

_SUZAKU, GET OUT OF THERE!_

"Genbu?" He hadn't heard from his brothers in so long, he had practically forgotten what they had sounded like.

A low laugh echoed, overpowering the voices of his older brothers.

Now that…that voice he remembered. And that laugh sounded just as unstable as ever. 

"You…" Suzaku whispered, his voice tinged with fear. 

There was a bright flash of red, and then everything was silent in the shrine once more. 

**Chapter Five**

  


**Yokubou ni yogoreta machi**

**Fukinukeru kaze dake sora e**

**Fuminiji rarete yuku ai**

**In this city stained with greed**

**There is only wind blowing towards the sky**

**All that is left of trampled love**

**  
**

_Two weeks later…_

"Seiryuu? Dear Heart, what's wrong?"

Seiryuu turned away from the window to look at Taiitsukun. The Creator was stunned to see that her adopted son's eyes were bright with unshed tears, and he looked as if he'd been about to cry at any moment. "What happened?" she asked. _And where is Tenkou? Doesn't he know that his brother is upset about something?_

"It's Suzaku," Seiryuu replied, his voice thick due to how upset he was. "He…he promised that he'd come back for my birthday. I waited all day, Taiitsukun, but he never came!" He couldn't keep the tears back any longer. "He lied to me! He promised he'd be here!"

Taiitsukun hurried across the room and wrapped her arms around Seiryuu. "Hush, Dear Heart. I'm sure there's a reason for your brothers' absence. Have you ever known Suzaku to break a promise to you without a good reason?"

"He's never broken a promise," Seiryuu whispered. "Reason or not. He always found a way to keep the promise."

"Then perhaps he was delayed," Taiitsukun suggested. 

Seiryuu looked at her. 

"Right. My fault." Taiitsukun sighed. "Suzaku is the swiftest of you all. Even if he were delayed, he'd still be here on time."

"He forgot about me," Seiryuu said quietly.

"No!" Taiitsukun raised her voice and shouted firmly. "No! Suzaku is your brother! He would never forget!"

"Genbu forgot! Byakko forgot!" Seiryuu argued. "Otherwise, why haven't they contacted us since they left?! They forgot! And Suzaku did, too!" 

Taiitsukun grabbed Seyruu firmly by the shoulders, but the little dragon refused to look at her. "Let me go," he commanded. 

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the room.

Seiryuu stared up at Taiitsukun, one hand pressed against his cheek where she had slapped him. She had never raised a hand to him or any of his brothers – never! 

Taiitsukun stared at him. "Forgive me," she said, "but you have to listen to me. I'm sure Suzaku did not forget your birthday. But obviously you are having trouble believing me, so I'm going to break a promise to myself. Long ago, I promised that I would never let any of you leave Mt. Taityoku unless you were with me, or you were ready. I take back that promise now. You may go to Konan and see Suzaku, if only to clear this up. I can't stand the thought of you being angry with your closest brother. Does that sound all right with you?" 

Seiryuu looked at her silently for a few minutes. Then, slowly, he nodded. Yes, it sounded good. If he could go to Konan and see Suzaku, he could reassure himself that his brother had not abandoned him. That he had not left him. "Okay," he whispered. "I'll go." 

"Good." Taiitsukun hugged him. "I'll have Sashi ready your horse, and you can leave whenever you're ready. And you can stay as long as you want, so long as you send me some sort of message every once in awhile. Okay?"

He nodded again. "Okay." Then, all of a sudden, he was a whirlwind of activity. He jumped up from his seat and hurried across the room to his wardrobe. He immediately pulled out a blue satchel and began shoving things into it, moving around the room at astonishing speed. Taiitsukun stepped back into the doorway and smiled, watching as Seiryuu returned to himself. Then she turned and left.

_I hope this is a good idea, Taiitsukun thought. __And I hope I'm right about Suzaku. Because if Seiryuu gets to Konan and finds that his brother really did __forget, I don't know if he'll be able to take it. Stars, please let me be right about Suzaku._

"You're just going to let him go?"

The soft, yet eerily cold voice made Taiitsukun stop and turn around. "Tenkou," she said, surprised. "How long have you been following me?"

"Long enough," the Wolf God growled. "You're letting him leave? You said that we weren't allowed to leave the mountain until it was time to go to Kutou and Shoku. Why are you going back on that? Why are you allowing him to leave?" 

Taiitsukun frowned at the older twin. "Really, Tenkou, I'm surprised. Can't you see how much Seiryuu is hurting? What's the harm in me letting him put his fears to rest? Now, if you don't mind, I have some things I need to take care of. I'll be in my chambers." And with that, The Creator turned and walked off in the direction she had originally intended to. 

Tenkou growled softly after her. "Someday, old hag, you'll get what's coming to you." He turned on his heel and walked in the other direction, not bothering to slow as he passed Seiryuu, who was just coming out of his room with his bag. The Dragon God looked at his brother, startled, then shrugged and practically sprinted towards the stables. 

Sashi stepped out from behind one of the marble pillars, frowning. _I knew there was a reason not to trust Tenkou, she thought. __He's up to no good – I can sense it. There's something not right with his chi. _

"Hey, Sashi!" Sashi looked down the hallway to see Seiryuu waving to her. "Can you help me saddle up my horse?" 

"I'll be right there!" she called. _I'll talk to Taiitsukun first chance I get, she said. __For now, I'll help Seiryuu. Might as well spend my only friends' last moments here with him. _

With Sashi's help, it was simple getting his blue roan  stallion saddled and ready. He loved that horse – he'd helped raise him since he was a tiny foal. Blue roans were rare, especially nowadays. 

And, fortunately, his mount was fast besides being rare. 

It wasn't long before he was looking up at the gates of Konan. 

Seiryuu was more than a little apprehensive about visiting the Southern Country. For starters, he was supposed to guard and protect Kutou, and only have dealings with Konan through Suzaku. Then there were the rumors about how unjustly women were treated in Konan, especially in the poor families. And he'd heard that the emperor wasn't a very nice man, either. _None of that matters, Seiryuu, he lectured himself. __You're not here to ask the emperor to marry you or anything. You're just here to find out what's going on with Suzaku._

The main entrance to the capital was closed. _Strange, thought Seiryuu, __that they would keep travelers out. He brought his mount right up to the entrance and called up to the guards patrolling the top of the large walls surrounding the capital. "Konnichiwa!" he called. "I'd like to enter this city!"_

One of the guards stopped and looked down at him. "Do you have a pass?" he called down.

Seiryuu blinked. "A pass?" 

"To enter Eiyo, you must have a written pass from the Emperor himself," the guard replied. "Where are you from?"

"I come from Mt. Taityoku, with permission from the Creator," Seiryuu called. "I am the Dragon God Seiryuu, younger brother of the Phoenix God Suzaku. It is he who I request an audience with." 

The guard looked at one of his companions, who shrugged. Apparently they had never been approached with a situation like this. The two guards whispered amongst each other for a few minutes, and then finally the first called down to Seiryuu. "You'll have to wait for written permission from the Emperor and also from the God. I will send one of my men to the palace, and someone will come to escort you in when permission is attained." 

"But I'll have to wait outside the city?" Seiryuu asked.

"Yes." 

"For how long?"

"However long it takes." 

Seiryuu sighed, but had a feeling that further arguing would be useless. He didn't really feel like staying outside for any longer than he had to, and he had a feeling would take quite awhile to obtain this "written permission" that the guard seemed to so fond of. He was the brother of their God, their Protector – couldn't they see that from his coloring and the symbol upon his forehead? _They might have bad eyesight, he amended. __That wall is awfully high. I suppose they're just being careful. Easy, Seiryuu. You're letting your teenage ignorance show, as Aunt H is so fond of saying. He dismounted from his horse and sat on the ground near a large tree, leaned against the wall, and prepared to wait. He didn't count on his being so tired. _

When he woke up, he discovered that the sun had already set and the stars were beginning to come out. What had woken him was the sound of the entrance gates opening. Seiryuu stood up as a young man stepped out. "Are you Seiryuu?" the soldier asked. 

"Hai," Seiryuu said. "Has permission from the Emperor been obtained to see my brother?" 

"Hai," the soldier said, glancing nervously around him. "My name is Karrae. Please come with me. And leave your horse here. I'll have someone attend to him."

"I'd prefer to keep him with me," Seiryuu replied.

Karrae reached out suddenly and gripped Seiryuu's arm with surprising strength. "Onegai," he whispered. "Leave your horse here. No danger will fall to him, I promise. In the event that you will have to make a quick exit, it would be best if he were already waiting for you here. Now come. Let's get you inside before they become suspicious." 

Seiryuu, confused, followed Karrae inside. Karrae handed a guard a sealed letter, and the guard barely glanced at it before waving them in. The entrance gates began to close behind them. 

Karrae led Seiryuu into the capital and then suddenly pulled him into a side alleyway beside the Inn. "Listen closely, Dragon God," Karrae said, his voice low and his blue eyes betraying his nervousness and fear. "I'm going to tell you something that you're going to have to believe, because I cannot permit you to enter that palace." 

"What's going on here?" demanded Seiryuu, his voice rising in indignation and confusion.

"Shhh!" Karrae hissed. "Seiryuu, your brother is no longer in Konan." 

Seiryuu looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I forged that letter of permission," Karrae replied. "I knew that the Emperor would never permit you to enter the palace. Now listen to what I am about to tell you. Until a year ago, Konan was ravaged by demon hoards that seemed to have come from the central city, Shoku. Then, suddenly, the demon attacks stopped. The very day they stopped, I sensed a strange aura in Konan. Then there was peace, and I forgot about the demon attacks. Today that changed, because shortly after I escorted your brother to the palace, I sensed the same aura once more. And now my fears have been confirmed – there was a report of a demon attack in the Reikaku region. I believe that the aura and the demons are connected." 

"What does this have to do with you claiming that my brother not being in his shrine?" Seiryuu demanded, still not certain if he should trust this young man. There was something odd about him. 

"I'm not sure," Karrae said, "but I do know that Suzaku is not in his shrine. When the gate guard told me about your request, I went straight to Suzaku rather than to the Emperor. We had spoken while I had escorted him, and I thought he'd remember and speak with me. Your brother is very unusual person, not the typical sort in Konan." He smiled. "I liked him. But when I knocked on the shrine entrance, Suzaku did not answer."

"The shrine was empty?" Seiryuu asked.

"I said, 'Suzaku did not answer'," Karrae said. "I did _not say it was empty. I did get a reply. A very low, somewhat raspy voice commanding me to leave him be. I believe there is something in that shrine posing to be your brother, but I know it is not Suzaku. The stars tell me that it isn't, and I have never doubted them." _

"Then why not tell the Emperor about this?" Seiryuu wanted to know.

"For this reason, and the last thing I have to tell you: when the Emperor heard about the Reikaku demon attack today, he didn't seem phased, despite our year of peace. His son, on the other hand, was stunned. But the Emperor merely smiled and said that the Reikaku gypsies had it coming to them. Currently the Emperor and the Prince are not on speaking terms over this matter. I think the Emperor knows something, but what, I'm not certain. I'm not even sure as to what's going on, but I know that it can't be good. And it involves your brother." 

"I have to get into that shrine," Seiryuu said immediately. He was taking a chance with trusting the boy, but something Karrae had said – '_The stars tell me that it isn't, and I have never doubted them' – that sounded like something Sashi would say. Sashi was always telling him to listen to the stars. He'd decided long ago that anyone who listened to stars had to be a decent person. Perhaps it was naïve, but he had yet to be proven wrong, so he would stick by that decision. "If I can't enter the palace, how can I do that?"_

"There is a back path," replied Karrae. "I can't take you there myself – I'm forbidden to enter that part of the palace – but I can direct you there. You'll have to go around to the back of the palace, and then scale the wall. It shouldn't be a problem for you. There will be a path shrouded by shrubbery next to the wall. Follow it towards the main entrance, and it will lead you to a window. Nobody patrols that area, so just enter the window. I've made sure that it is open. The shrine entrance should be just a few feet from there. But please, Seiryuu, I'm warning you: be careful. There is something in there, and its aura isn't right. It literally gave me chills, and the constellation dimmed ever-so-slightly." 

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Karrae-kun," Seiryuu whispered, clutching the soldier's arm tightly. "If I can ever return the favor…"

"Think nothing of it," Karrae replied, waving it off. "Just know that our eyes are everywhere. We won't let any harm fall to you, brother of Suzaku, so long as you are in Konan." 

_What a strange thing to say, thought Seiryuu. He glanced towards the palace, then turned back to Karrae. "What do you mean, 'our eyes are everywhere'?" He blinked. "Karrae?"_

But the soldier was gone. 

Seiryuu stared down the alleyway, but there was no sign of the young man. It was as if he'd suddenly vanished. The only thing visible was what looked like an old statue – an unusual thing to find in alley, but nothing of importance. 

_Around the back and over the wall, Seiryuu thought. __All right. He'd saved most of his strength during the journey, and used his powers to transport himself to the exact location that Karrae had mentioned. Perhaps that was cheating, but it was the easiest way to get around the guards. He easily leaped over the wall and landed on the shrouded path. No one could see him because of the shrubs. It'd be even easier if he could just transport himself directly into the palace, but he had trouble passing through walls, so there'd be no guarantee that he'd end up in the right spot. He'd have to follow Karrae's directions._

The palace wasn't very far away, but just before he reached the window, he got the strangest sensation that he was being watched. And he didn't like it. He looked over his shoulder and frowned, but there was nobody there to be intimidated by his unhappy expression. He waited another minute, then shrugged and vaulted through the window. 

Karrae had been right. It didn't look as if anyone had visited this particular area of the palace in quite awhile. The shrine doors were just a few feet away, and closed. 

Seiryuu marched right up to them and pushed them open.

He was immediately pushed back by a brilliant spark of red light. 

_A sealed barrier! He picked himself off the floor and stared at the shrine entrance. All five of the gods knew how to create sealed barriers, so he supposed this could be Suzaku's doing, but if Karrae was right, then Suzaku wasn't here. Therefore it wouldn't be his barrier, but another being's barrier, disguised to make it __look like one of Suzaku's barriers. _

The kanji on his forehead flared to life, and he pressed his hand against the door. Blue energy crackled from his palm and traveled along the golden doors, mixing with the red energy, and creating a purple energy barrier. Then Seiryuu expanded his power and shattered the previous barrier. 

The doors swung open easily.

The moment he stepped inside, he knew something was wrong. The shrine was too dark, too silent. But he could make out something in the center of it – was it possible that Karrae had been wrong? Could Suzaku be in here?

He stepped further inside. "Aniki?" he called, his voice echoing.

The doors slammed shut.

And then Seiryuu heard the loud, raspy breathing.

There was something in here, all right.

But it was not Suzaku. 

**Chapter Six**

**  
**

**Te no hira ni nokotta namida**

**Aa, egao made ubawarete ikiru no ka  **

**Dare mo kizutsuki kokoro mo naiteru**

**Is the tear left in the palm of my hand**

**Ah, were smiles only meant to sunder?**

**Every one has their wounded hearts**

**  
**

Seiryuu was getting a very bad feeling about this. 

That feeling multiplied when the light came on in the shrine. He didn't have the faintest idea as to where the light was coming from, but it was there. And it was illuminating a _very unpleasant sight._

  


"What in the nine frozen hells are _you?" Seiryuu yelped, his blue eyes widening as he took in the clearly unhygienic creature sitting on the throne that so clearly belonged to his brother. "Where's Suzaku?"_

The creature threw back its head and laughed. The smell that emanated from its mouth made Seiryuu want to gag. He'd never once imagined that anything could have such a horrifying stench. Then the creature stood up and looked straight at Seiryuu.

The Dragon God began to think that maybe provoking the beast was not such a good idea. The creature seemed to stand almost seven, maybe eight, feet high, with long arms and legs that were each tapered with sharp claws. Its snout protruded out another foot, and when it opened its jaws, rows of sharp teeth glinted in the unnatural light. To add to it, there was a three-foot-long tail trailing behind it, and it was covered in hard scales. 

"What am I?" rasped the creature. "I am youkai, from the Shadow Realm. I serve my master, who has taken the Red One. And I will please my master greatly by destroying the Blue One, the one who sticks his nose into things that do not concern him!" With a loud howl, the youkai threw himself at Seiryuu, claws outstretched. 

Seiryuu threw himself to the side, panting. He hadn't expected this thing to really _attack him! He looked over his shoulder and saw that the youkai had gotten his claws stuck in the stone wall. But before Seiryuu could breathe a sigh of relief, the claws were out, and the wall was practically __melting._

_His claws are made of acid! Seiryuu realized, eyes widening. __This is not good._

The youkai barely gave him time to catch his breath before launching itself at him again. Seiryuu dodged the attack, then attempted to drive his fist into the youkai's face. The youkai stepped to the side, grabbed Seiryuu's arm, and twisted it sharply, spinning the young god around and pulling him up against it. Acid-tipped claws lightly ran along Seiryuu's neck, and the burning sensation they provided made his whimper in pain. The sharp crack his arm had made hadn't helped matters much, either.

"My master will be pleased," hissed the youkai.

Then, suddenly, a brilliant red light lit up the room. The youkai let go of Seiryuu and stumbled back, covering its eyes. Seiryuu spun around just in time to see a young woman leap from one of the windows just below the cathedral ceiling. It was an unbelievable height that no ordinary person could hope to land from without injury.

But land she did, and much more. The minute her feet hit the ground, the youkai lunged at her. She sidestepped and brought her hand down on the back of its neck, snapping it sharply with one blow. But because the only way to kill a youkai is to attack its heart, the youkai quickly spun and attacked again. The woman dodged the acid-tipped claws and delivered a series of kicks and punches so fast and with such precision. Seiryuu could barely follow the movements. The youkai stumbled back and collapsed, stunned. Then, before it could regain its composure, the woman delivered a flying kick to the throat, and crushed the demonheart that pulsated inside of it. 

The youkai's throat exploded from impact, black blood splattering whatever was closest. Seiryuu winced at the stench that permeated from the corpse, then realized what the woman had done. "What did you _do?" he practically shouted. "That thing was my only chance at finding my brother!" _

The woman looked at Seiryuu, her aquamarine eyes dancing with amusement. "Oh, so I suppose you'd rather have been killed by it instead?" she asked. "It's a good thing I was around, Little Dragon, or you'd be youkai lunch."

"Who are you calling 'Little Dragon'?" growled Seiryuu. 

She smirked slightly. "Isn't that what you are?" she asked. When he growled again, she sighed. "You have no sense of humor. At any rate, you should come with me. By now the guards will know that someone broke into the shrine, and it's not safe here." 

"Why should I trust you?" demanded Seiryuu.

The woman was already preparing to climb up the walls to the window she had sneaked through. "Because you aren't the only one interested in finding out what happened to Suzaku," she said, her expression suddenly serious. "Now come on. We don't want the Emperor to know you were here." 

Seiryuu stared at her, uncomprehending. 

She sighed in irritation. "Well? Are you coming or do I have to carry you out of here?"

"My arm is broken," he muttered. 

The woman rolled her eyes. "I was afraid of something like that. Hang on." Seiryuu watched in amazement as she scurried up the wall, finding little hand-and-footholds in the stone blocks with ease. A second later, a rope dropped down. "Use the wall to support yourself and pull up with your good arm."

She truly seemed to be helping him, and he could hear the guards coming. He knew from Karrae's warning that it would not be good for the Emperor to find him. "Keep the rope to yourself," he said as he used his power to transport himself to the ledge she was balancing on.

The woman blinked. "Okay. Interesting." 

"Are we going, or are you just going to stare at me in surprise all night?" mocked Seiryuu in the same tone of voice she had used on him before.

"We're going, we're going," she said, rolling her eyes. "Sheesh. I'm Leviathan, by the way."

"Seiryuu," Seiryuu replied, "but you probably already knew that."

**Chapter Seven**

**  
**

**Ima, hizamazuite inori o**

**Kakan nai mono mamoritai**

**Mune ni juuji o kizamu**

**I want to protect those timid creatures**

**Those who kneel in prayer**

**I'll even carve a cross in my chest**

  


 ****

"Here. Drink this. It'll help ease the swelling in your arm." 

An hour had passed since the incident at the shrine, and Leviathan had used that hour to lead Seiryuu to the INN, where she was apparently staying. She'd gone in through the back entrance, indicating that she'd been there long enough for the innkeeper to trust her with her own set of keys. Curious about that, Seiryuu asked her why as she prepared to bandage and treat his wounds. 

"I actually come from a village on the outskirts of Konan, but in order to earn money for my family, I have to come to the capital to work. Sometimes I can get work by protecting other villages, but there are a lot of people who have problems with hiring a woman for protection. And I can't find work in the other countries."

"Why not?" Seiryuu asked, wincing as the hot liquid burned down his throat. But Leviathan was right – it was helping the pain. 

She wrapped a piece of cloth around his arm, creating a semi-sling. "The currency difference," she replied. "While Hokkan, Kutou, Sairo, and Shoku have adopted the same currency, Konan has a separate money system. And since all the money I earn is for my family, it must be in Konan's currency."

"That's stupid," Seiryuu muttered.

A smile appeared on her face. "I agree," she replied, "and perhaps things will change once Saihitei is on the throne. If that ever happens."

"What do you mean?" Why was it that all Seiryuu seemed to be doing around this woman was ask questions? He wanted to find out why she was looking for Suzaku, but he couldn't seem to find a way to bring it up. 

Leviathan sat down on the edge of the bed, across from the chair he was sitting in. "Saihitei is already older than most princes," she replied. "He even has a son, Taiso. If Taiso is of age when Yinou dies, then law decrees that the lineage will skip Saihitei and the crown will go to the younger heir. It's a peculiar system, and one many people don't agree with. And what's more is that Yinou has had an active part in the care of his grandson. Saihitei was raised primarily by the late Empress, so he has a completely different set of values from his father. But Taiso…" She sighed. "Of course, Taiso is still only ten years old. He still have three years before he overrules his father for the crown. But ten is old enough for Yinou to already begin manipulating him."

Seiyruu frowned and stared at her. "You don't hold the Emperor in high regard, do you?" he asked. "That can be considered treason, you know."

"Oh, I know," she said bitterly. "I also know that someone can be executed for thinking that way. But my family, not to mention most of my village and several other villages in Konan, are starving because of Yinou. Young children are being sold by their parents to brothels so that their families can survive. Women are persecuted and punished for the crimes of their husbands. Konan is not a happy place to live in these days."

"Then why live in it at all?" Seiryuu asked.

"Because it's home," Leviathan answered. "And I, at least, am guided by destiny to remain here. But someday I hope to get my family out. We have relatives in Sairo, but first we need the money. I'll get it somehow. The stars have assured me of that."

And there they were again. "What is with all this star stuff?" Seiryuu demanded. "First Sashi, then that Karrae guy, and now you. What is so special about stars?"

Leviathan raised one eyebrow. "You've never heard of the Southern Stars?"

Seiryuu frowned. "Southern…Stars?"

"I guess not, then," she said. "Very well. I'll enlighten you. There is a legend passed down throughout the Four Outer Kingdoms pertaining to the four cardinal constellation clusters: the Tortoise, the Tiger, the Phoenix, and the Dragon. I'm sure you recognize those animals."

"Those are the animal deities that were granted to myself and my three oldest brothers," Seiryuu said. "Genbu, Byakko, and Suzaku respectively. Tenkou's deity is the Wolf, but I've never heard of a constellation for that."

"There is none, although the Wolf is special in some Shoku legend that I don't know much about," Leviathan replied. "Anyway. In each of the constellation clusters, there are seven constellations. According to legends, each of the twenty-eight constellations have guardians who protect and watch over the lands that the constellations watch over. Seven mortals are granted powers from the stars to aid them in protecting the land, until the time comes when a great savior of the land will come and bring peace. This legend goes for all four lands of Hokkan, Sairo, Konan, and Kutou."

"Interesting," Seiryuu said, finding it to be true. Normally he laughed at things like this, but something strange was definitely going on, and again – who was he to argue with someone who listened to stars? "And what does this have to do with my brother?"

"It's possible that you and your oldest brothers are the saviors that the Outer Kingdoms have been looking for," Leviathan replied. "Your animal deities match the constellations, and the legends indicate the great savior will _not be a mere mortal. A grim darkness has fallen over the land, and we are indeed in need of a savior." _

Seiryuu stared at her for a long time. "So what you're saying," he said slowly, "is that Suzaku is the so-called savior of Konan, but someone or something has stepped in and interrupted this legend of yours from coming true?" 

"Precisely," Leviathan said. "In which case, it falls to _you to bring Suzaku back to Konan. The Southern Kingdom is my only worry, and you're the best hope we've got to bringing Suzaku back." _

"Lovely," sighed Seiryuu. "I'm not entirely sure that I believe you, you know."

"I know," agreed Leviathan. "However, I will say this. If you agree to do this – and I think you will – you'll need help." 

"Help?"

She stood up and reached into the bottom drawer of a dresser, and removed a blue scroll. "This is the Legend of the Dragon, the Eastern Stars," she said. "The Dragon is Kutou's great savior – and I assume that it means you. Like the Southern Stars, the Eastern Stars are also seven mortals with celestial powers." 

"How come _you have Kutou's scroll?" Seiryuu asked, curious._

"Each scroll was entrusted to a different country," Leviathan replied. "I came into possession of this one when I was very young. Sairo has Konan's, Hokkan has Sairo's, and Kutou has Hokkan's, if I'm not mistaken. This depicts clues to the seven warriors: Nakagoboshi, or Heart; Amiboshi, or High Spirits; Suboshi, or Angle; Soiboshi, or Tassel; Tomoboshi, or Root; Ashitareboshi, or Tail; and Miboshi, or Basket." She handed him the scroll. "Take this." 

Seiryuu looked down at the blue scroll that she had placed in his hands. "Are you sure?" 

Leviathan sat down again and crossed her legs, one over the other. "I'm sure," she said, nodding. "I don't need it, and you do. That scroll will show you how to find the seven Star Warriors of the Eastern Skies." 

"Have you ever met any of them?" demanded Seiryuu, his blue eyes narrowing. "How do you know they really exist?"

She sighed and tapped her fingers against the arm rest of her chair. "I know they do," she said softly. "No, I've never met any of them. But my mother did. The powers have been passed on to the next generation, I know, so it's a different set than my mother knew. But she explained most of them to me."

"How so?"

"I suppose you should know this information," she said. She removed a brush and a small pile of paper and handed it to him. "Take notes. I'll tell you about each of the seven Eastern Warriors, according to what my mother told me."

He nodded, brush poised to start writing.

"Each warrior has two powers – a primary and a secondary. The secondary comes naturally, but the primary – which is more powerful – is granted over time. Nakagoboshi's secondary power is chi manipulation, the ability to channel the chi and use it as an attack. The primary power is time manipulation, the ability to freeze time. 

"Amiboshi, the Second Star, has the secondary power of chi manipulation through the use of song. Depending on how the song is performed – vocally or with the aid of an instrument, usually a flute – determines how much power and the sort of effect it will have. The primary power is Amiboshi's control over the 'light' elements of the world: peace, happiness, love, life, etc. 

"The Third Star is Suboshi, and Suboshi is very similar to Amiboshi. The primary power is the control over the 'dark' elements – basically the exact opposite of Amiboshi. The secondary power is where they differ. Suboshi can control any weapon through telekinesis.

"Soiboshi's powers are similar to one another. The secondary is the power to control lightning, and the primary is an expanded version: the ability to manipulate weather. Soiboshi has sometimes been known to channel those powers with Nakagoboshi's when handling some stronger demons." 

"Demons?" Seiryuu cut in, pausing.

"Yes," Leviathan replied. "The Star Warriors usually attack and defend against demons." 

"I see." The Dragon God's mind flashed back to what Karrae had told him earlier, about demons attacking Mt. Reikakau. "Continue."

"After Soiboshi is Tomoboshi. Tomoboshi's secondary power seems to be the art of casting illusions, but this might actually be the primary power. It's hard to determine, because the primary power is shape-changing. Tomoboshi can use illusion to make it seem as if shapes are being changed, or Tomoboshi can really change shape. Usually Tomoboshi masters these early on, so it's hard to determine which really came first.

"Ashitareboshi is, powerwise, the weakest. Like Tomoboshi, Ashitareboshi can change shapes, but only between human and one animal – usually feline or canine. But that seems to be the extent of Ashitareboshi's power. It seems the secondary power is being half-human, half-animal, and then the primary power kicks in so that Ashitareboshi can shift fully between both shapes."

"Odd," commented Seiryuu.

"Yes," Leviathan agreed. "The last warrior is Miboshi. Miboshi's secondary power is the power of possession – humans _or animals. And the primary power is second sight. A Southern Warrior, Chirikoboshi, has a similar power, but unlike Chirikoboshi, Miboshi has visions. Miboshi can see things happening as they happen or as they are about to happen, but doesn't necessarily know what's going on._

"That's about all I can remember. Did you get all of that down?"

"Hai," replied Seiryuu, nodded. He blew on the ink to get it to dry quicker, then folded up the paper and slid it into the scroll before rolling said scroll back up. "So, where can I find them?"

"Kutou," Leviathan replied, "most likely. I can't imagine why any of them would leave their empire, unless they don't know they're one of the warriors. The quickest way to Kutou from here is to the take the main road heading east, but if you want to avoid detection, you should go through the forest roads. They loop around Eiyo and head west for a day, then snake back around and go east. It's longer, but safer.' 

"I don't have time to be safe," Seiryuu said. 

"True, but you also don't want to end up dead."

The Blue Dragon sighed, his blue hair flopping down into his eyes. "Good point." He thought carefully for a moment. If he took the main road, he'd get to Kutou's capital faster, but he'd be a walking – or galloping – target for whoever was after him and his brothers. But if he took the forest road, it'd take longer to get there. However, the chances of him getting there unscathed were better. 

"How much of Kutou does the main road go through?" Seiryuu finally asked after a few minutes of contemplation.

"Um…" Leviathan bit her lip and thought. "I believe it goes straight to the capital. But the forest roads go through much of the outer region of  Kutou, through smaller villages."

Seiryuu nodded. "All right. I'll take your advice and go the long route."

"What made you change your mind?" she asked curiously. 

"The more of Kutou I travel through, the more  likely I am to run into one of the warriors," replied Seiryuu. "And there'll probably be a trap waiting at the capital, like there was here for Suzaku. So the longer it takes for me to get there, the less ready they'll be for me."

Leviathan smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking." She glanced out the window and looked up at the clear sky. Seiryuu looked up as well, and saw that all seven of the Southern Constellations were out. One was shining more than the others. 

"Isn't that…Tamahomeboshi?" he asked. "I wonder why it's brighter." 

Again Leviathan smiled, a somewhat secretive smile. "I don't know," she said. "Come. Let's get you to your horse. I'll go with you as far as the entrance to the forest road, but after that you're on your own."

"Thank you," he said. 

"Anything for the brother of Suzaku." 

**Chapter Eight**

**  
**

**Komo tomerarenai nani ka o**

**Osaerareru tamashii o**

**Tada shinjitai itsu made mo**

**To believe in something unstoppable**

**And the irrepressible spirit**

**Now and forever**

  


"I thought you said you were only coming with me as far as the forest road." 

"I have some business in this direction," Leviathan said nonchalantly.

Seiryuu looked down from his horse at her. "And you decided this _when?"_

"A few minutes ago," replied Leviathan, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll only follow you for a few more minutes. My turn comes up."

"Where are you heading?" 

"Reikaku," Leviathan replied. "I want to see if I can find out more information on the demon attacks that occurred there a few days ago."

_Reikaku, thought Seiryuu. __That's north of here, isn't it? "Hey, could you do me a favor? Just one."_

"It seems I'm doing you a lot of favors," Leviathan said, eyeing him. "What do I get in return?"

Seiryuu paused, stumped. Obviously she was through helping him for free. "I don't have much money…" he said slowly.

"I know!" She stopped and spun around, nearly spooking his horse. "You can set me up on a date with your brother once you find him! I think that'll be ample payback for all the help I've given you!" 

Seiryuu sweatdropped. "Are you kidding?" he asked. "Aniki will strangle me with my own ponytail if I do that. He doesn't like being set up on blind dates. Tenkou was always doing that to him with the shrine maidens."

"Well, it won't be completely blind," Leviathan pouted. "We've already met. Anyway, if you don't agree I won't do you that favor you want."

_This girl is unbelievable, thought Seiryuu. "Okay, okay. I'll see what I can do, but no promises."_

She thought for a moment. "Deal. But if it doesn't work, then I expect you to pay me, got it? Now, what's the favor?"

"North of here is a place called Mt. Taityoku," Seiryuu replied. "It's beyond Mt. Reikaku, so you won't really have to travel out of your way. It's where I live. My surrogate mother is the Creator, Taiitsukun, and she'll probably be worried about me. Could you stop by there and tell her that I'm fine, and I'm on my way to Kutou?"

A strange gleam appeared in Leviathan's eyes. "Taityoku, eh?" she said softly. "Sure, Little Dragon, I'll do it. And tell you what. You don't have to pay me for this. I've always wanted to see the legendary Taityoku."

"You mean I don't have to set you and my brother up on a date?"

"Well…it would be nice…" 

"Aniki is going to kill me." 

"Hey! I'm not _that bad!" _

"Yeah, right." 

_CRASH!_

"Owwwww…that hurt!" 

"Oh, stuff it. Now get back on your horse."

Seiryuu did as commanded, wincing as he moved his arm. "That wasn't fair," he muttered. "I couldn't defend myself up here."

They walked for a few more minutes until they reached a fork in the road. "Well," Leviathan said after a moment, "this is where we split. The right path is what you need, and the rest of the trail should be clearly marked. It should only take you a week to get to Kutou, two if you and the horse only walk. Good luck, Seiryuu." 

"Thank you, Leviathan," he said. She nodded and turned left, heading north. He stood there until she had disappeared from sight, then clucked his horse forward down the right path. His hand dropped to his side, where the blue scroll was tucked away safely. 

_And so the journey of the Blue Dragon began._

**Chapter Nine**

**  
**

**Kumo ga kiete, hoshi ga mieru**

**Kaze ga tomari, tori ga utau**

**Umi ga hikari, sora ni tokeru**

**Yoru ga owari, kimi o kanjiru**

**The clouds disperse, the stars are seen**

**The wind stills, the birds sing**

**The ocean shines, the heavens thaw**

**The night ends, I feel you**

  
  


"And so the journey of the Blue Dragon began." 

"_What did you say?"_

Keisuke looked up suddenly, nearly dropping the Shadowland on the floor. Tetsuya Kajiwara was staring at his friend, having apparently heard the last part that Keisuke had just read. "What is that?" 

Keisuke motioned for Tetsuya to come in, deciding a matter of seconds that it would be a bad idea to keep this from his fellow Shi Ji Tenchi Sho researcher. Tetsuya closed the door behind him, even though Miaka was out with Yui and Taka. "I ordered this book off the Internet," Keisuke replied, "but I think I ended up with a different copy than the one I was supposed to. This one looks ancient."

"It looks older than the Universe of the Four Gods," Tetsuya asked, taking the Shadowland from Keisuke and turning it carefully in his hands. 

"I think it came first," replied Keisuke.

"What?" Tetsuya looked up at him. "_What?" _

"Listen," Keisuke said. "This story begins with the birth of twins – one named Seiryuu and one named Tenkou. They had three older brothers: Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu. They were raised by Taiitsukun after their mother died. On their eighteenth birthdays, each 'god' was sent to watch over a country – Hokkan, Sairo, Kutou, Konan, and one I've never heard of called Shoku. Sound familiar?" 

"The four Beast gods," breathed Tetsuya. "Go on." 

"When Suzaku left to guard Konan, he mysteriously disappeared," Keisuke continued. "Seiryuu, worried after Suzaku hadn't shown up for _his birthday, traveled to Konan to find answers, only to hear that the situation seemed to be a lot worse. Demons were attacking the empire, and the Emperor of Konan was at odds with his son – who's name, coincidentally, was Saihitei, but I doubt it's Hotohori. A woman named Leviathan who possessed superior martial arts skills told Seiryuu of a legend of seven warriors who got their powers from the Eastern Skies, and proceeded to name off the Seiryuu Shichiseishi – or at least their constellations."_

"What is this?" Tetsuya demanded. "Did somebody hear about the book and decide to write their own version?" 

"I don't think so," Keisuke replied. "Just before I opened the book, the Universe of the Four Gods glowed. It glowed, Tetsuya. Not red, not blue, not green, not white, but _silver." _

"Why silver?" whispered Tetsuya, a chill racing down his spine. 

"I don't know," Keisuke said. "But I think something very important is hidden inside the pages of this book. It doesn't seem to draw the reader into the story, but I think it's just as important as the Universe of the Four Gods. And I…I feel compelled to read it." 

Tetsuya stared at the book in his hands, this slowly opened it to the page Keisuke had left off at. "Well," he said, his voice soft, "let's just see what it has to say." 

  


 **Itoshii mono dakishime**

**Chiisaki mono mamoru tame**

**Kyou mo dare ka ga sakebu**

**Kono inochi sae mo nagedashi**

**Toki no naka de moetsukiru**

**Sono isshun ni kuchizuke**

**Hizamazuite inori o **

**Kakan nai mono mamoritai**

**Mune ni juuji o kizamu**

**Kono tomerarenai nani ka o**

**Osaerareru tamashii o**

**Tada shinjitai itsu made mo**

**Only to embrace those we love**

**And protect those small and precious**

**Today again some one shouts that out**

**Sacrificing even their life**

**To smolder in the midst of time**

**With that instant's kiss**

**I want to protect those timid creatures**

**Those who kneel in prayer**

**I'll even carve a cross in my chest**

**To believe in something unstoppable**

**And the irrepressible spirit**

**Now and forever**

  


**To be continued in: **

**Blue Dragon Beginning #2**

**_Seiryuu Meets His Match_**


	2. Seiryuu Meets His Match

**Shadowland**

**Blue Dragon Beginning #2**

**_Seiryuu Meets His Match_**

****

**Chapter One**

"Here." Keisuke handed Tetsuya a glass of water, then settled himself into the overstuffed armchair in the corner of his room. Tetsuya was perched on Keisuke's bed, book open in his lap. 

"Arigatou," Tetsuya said, taking a quick sip. "Okay. Ready? I'll fill you in on what I've just read."

"Go for it," Keisuke replied.

"Seiryuu traveled for almost a week through Konan before he finally reached Kutou, although he didn't know right away that he'd switched into the Eastern Empire," Tetsuya said. "Apparently he doesn't have very good navigation skills, because he seems to be lost in a very, _very thick forest. A road sign said there was a village nearby, but he hasn't reached it yet."_

"So he's wandering aimlessly through the forest?" Keisuke asked.

"Yeah, basically," Tetsuya agreed. He looked back down at the book and took another sip of water. "You want me to continue, or do you want to take over?"

"You go ahead," Keisuke said. "And don't worry about Miaka. She's on a date with Taka, and then she's spending the night at Yui's. So we're clear for awhile." The two of them had both come to an unspoken agreement that they would not involve the Suzaku and Seiryuu no Mikos in this until they knew for certain what was going on.

Tetsuya nodded, and once again began to read. 

***

"How can I be lost?" grumbled Seiryuu as he walked his horse through the thick forest. There didn't seem to be any end to the long line of trees that stretched out around him. "And when exactly did the road disappear? Maybe I was supposed to go left at the waterfall instead of right…what do you think?"

His horse snorted and shook his head. Obviously, he agreed that his master had taken a wrong turn. The horse had come to learn to expect these sort of things from Seiryuu – the young god was always finding himself in tough situations that he couldn't seem to get out of without some sort of fight. 

Seiryuu sighed and halted his horse, then lowered himself to the ground. He reached into his saddlebag and removed the blue scroll that Leviathan had given him before leaving Konan. He sat down on a large rock and unfurled the scroll enough so that he could read the first passage about the Eastern Warriors. 

"Interesting," he murmured. "Leviathan said that Nakagoboshi was the first constellation, but the scroll lists Suboshi as the first to be located. Strange." He looked at scroll for a little while longer, then shrugged. 

His horse snorted, unimpressed. 

"I know, it's probably not important," he agreed. He turned his attention back to the scroll. "It says here that Suboshi generally attempts to keep a low profile, and will probably not be found in a large city. Her powers are often kept hidden until absolutely necessary, so I might not even be able to tell that I've found her. She uses telekinesis to move objects, usually weapons." He read ahead further. "Ah, here we go. Two clues to figure out who she is: the kanji for 'twin' and for 'farm'." Seiryuu frowned. "Oh, that's a big help." 

The breathing on the back of his neck increased. 

…

BREATHING?!

Seiryuu dropped the scroll and dove to the side just in time to miss having his head removed from his shoulders by a large…very large…very, _very large sword. The youkai wielding the sword easily adjusted itself and refused to fall on his face from the sudden shift in his weight – something Seiryuu was seriously wishing had happened. _

"Not again," Seiryuu growled. "That makes two." The first had been in the shrine of his brother back in Konan – he'd thought that he wasn't going to have to deal with anymore demons. _I guess demon problems aren't confined just to Konan, thought Seiryuu bitterly. His arm throbbed in protest, a reminder that he had just barely managed to recover from an injury the __last youkai had given him. __Good thing gods heal quickly._

"My master will not permit to enter Kutou any further," hissed the youkai, pointing its sword at Seiryuu. The Dragon God remained crouched, ready to react to any sudden movements made by the youkai. This one didn't seem to have any poison, like the last one did…but that meant absolutely nothing when it came to demons. 

"So this _is  Kutou," Seiryuu said, grinning slyly. "I wasn't sure. Thank you __so much for confirming my suspicions. But what will your master think when he discovers that you actually gave me some very useful information?"_

The youkai paused and bit its lip. "Oh, dear." 

Seiryuu paused for a second, caught by surprise by the fact that youkai would even _consider saying 'oh, dear', not to mention one __actually saying it. In that split second, the youkai grinned and dove forward, the swordpoint aimed straight at Seiryuu's heart. _

It passed through air. 

Seiryuu reappeared behind the youkai and delivered a hard kick to the small of its back. Gasping, the youkai stumbled forward and dropped its sword, which Seiryuu immediately retrieved. He pointed it at the youkai's demonheart, located inside its throat. 

"I've got a couple of questions, and you're going to answer them," snarled Seiryuu. "And you're going to answer them _correctly." _

The youkai narrowed its eyes. "How will you know I _am answering them correctly?" it snarled._

"Because I'll drive the point of this thing into your heart, and you know it," hissed Seiryuu. "Byakko, Suzaku, and even Genbu would probably let you go, but I happen to _like fighting." He smiled devilishly. "I'll kill you, whether you answer or not. But I can guarantee that it'll be more painful if you __do answer my questions."_

The youkai's eyes lit up. _Good thing I read up on youkai at that last town, thought Seiryuu. Youkai thrived on pain – they relished it, loved it. Offering a painful death was a surefire way to get them to agree with you. _

Only it seemed that this youkai wasn't entirely following the rules. 

"Sorry," it hissed, "but my master has already promised me a death worse than anything _you could provide, so long as I kill you. I won't answer your question."_

"Have it your way," growled Seiryuu. He lunged forward, preparing to drive the blade into the demon's heart. 

The sword glowed sharply, and an intense pain burned from Seiryuu's hand to his arm. "_K'SO!" he shouted, dropping the sword and falling to his knees. He clutched his arm in pain, grimacing from the shock. _

The youkai picked up its sword. "This is part of me," it sneered. "You may not use it." It approached Seiryuu, and raised the blade high to slam into his neck. 

A brilliant blue light flooded the woods, temporarily blinding both the youkai and the god. "What the--?!" gasped Seiryuu. 

A clear, somewhat harsh voice rang out. "_RYUU…SEI…SUI!" _

From out of nowhere, a large throwing blade sliced through the air and cut into the youkai's side, nearly slicing it in half. It dropped its sword and stumbled back, spitting out black demon blood. Then it collapsed. 

Seiryuu's eyes began to refocus, and then he was being lifted up. He opened his eyes and blearily looked at what appeared to be a woman with long black hair, wearing a black and blue gown with a high collar. The most unusual feature, however, appeared to be the pair of black wings that grew out from between her shoulders.

"Who…are you?" he whispered. 

The woman smiled and pressed her hand against his mouth, urging him not to talk. He noticed a ring on her finger. A sapphire dragon rested on a gold band, and the ring looked strangely familiar. 

There was movement behind her. Seiryuu's eyes widened as he noticed the youkai, blade still protruding from its side. It lifted its sword and with one swift motion, threw it was her back.

The woman spun around and pointed at the sword. Immediately, it turned around and sailed back towards the youkai. Startled, the demon didn't have time to react as the sword point imbedded itself in its throat, bursting the demon's heart. 

Seiryuu stared at the dead youkai, then turned his attention back to the woman. "Tell me your name," he said as his vision began to refocus. 

She shook her head. "Gomen nasai," she replied. 

From somewhere, a soft melody could be heard filtering through the forest. 

Seiryuu felt strangely tired. The music, played by a flute, was beautiful. Hauntingly beautiful, and yet he sensed a dangerous quality to it. 

But he…he was so tired…

He wanted to know what the woman was sorry for, but his eyes wouldn't open again. 

With the flute still playing, Seiryuu closed his eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep. 

**Chapter Two**

Something cold and wet pressed against his forehead. 

Groggily, Seiryuu opened his eyes. He was lying in a bed that wasn't entirely comfortable, but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable, either. A thin layer of blankets covered his body, and it took him a moment to realize he was only clad in his pants. Pain shot through his arm, and he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. 

"Daijobu ka?" a soft, inquisitive voice asked. Seiryuu immediately looked over at the unexpected voice, and for a moment, he was greeted with a familiar-looking face. For a minute he thought…but no. Despite the odd resemblance to his older brother Byakko, this person was definitely a girl. 

Long white hair framed a heart-shaped face, and green eyes looked at him from behind her bangs. Most of her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and she wore a simple white dress. A wet cloth was in her hand – that must've been what was pressing against his forehead. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "How long have I been asleep?"

"My name is Amanda," the girl replied. "And you've been asleep for almost a week – that's how long it's been since my sister found you unconscious in the woods." 

"A week!" Seiryuu bolted upright, and was immediately hit by a wave of dizziness.

"Be careful!" Amanda exclaimed, standing up from her chair and putting her hands on his shoulders. She forced him to lie back down. "You shouldn't move yet! You've been unconscious for a very long time."

"But my brother," Seiryuu protested. "I have to find him. He needs me."

"There was no one else with you in the forest," Amanda said. 

"No," Seiryuu said, shaking his head. "Suzaku disappeared from Konan. I have to find him, and I need to find others who can help me. I can't stay here, I have to go. I've already wasted too much time." 

"Relax," Amanda said, placing the wet cloth on his forehead again. "Aside from your injuries, you're also running a fever. Did you get _any sleep before this? I think you probably collapsed from exhaustion." _

"Fighting a demon didn't help much, either," muttered Seiryuu. He folded his arms over his chest grumpily, but remained lying down. His head was throbbing so much from his sudden movement that he couldn't have gotten up again even if he felt like it. 

"So, you're from Konan?" asked Amanda as she began changing the bandages that were wrapped around his arm and chest. 

"No, Taityoku," Seiryuu replied. "Mt. Taityoku, which overlooks the five empires."

Amanda looked at him surprised. "Mt. Taityoku! I thought only shrine maidens and the five gods lived there."

"I'm Seiryuu, the Dragon God," replied Seiryuu.

If she could've looked anymore surprised, _Seiryuu would've been the one to go in shock. "Oh, my goodness," Amanda gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "And here I've been treating you like a commoner! Forgive me, Seiryuu-seikun. I didn't know."_

"I haven't been accepted yet," replied Seiryuu. "I wasn't due to come to Kutou for another year. But judging from your reaction, I really am in Kutou?"

"Yes," Amanda replied. "This is Ji'Nai, on the outskirts of Kutou. You're in my family's boarding house, on our farm. And if you weren't due to come to Kutou for a year, what are you doing here now, if you don't mind my asking."  

"I'm searching for someone," Seiryuu replied. "Or, rather, seven someones."

"Seven?" 

"Yes." Seiryuu winced as he moved his arm into a more comfortable position. "I was given a scroll in Konan which told of seven legendary warriors who used the powers of the stars. This scroll belonged to the seven warriors of Kutou, of the Eastern Stars, the Blue Dragon Constellation Cluster. Unfortunately, it seems that the more I search, the more I get attacked by my adversary's youkai minions." 

"I see," murmured Amanda. "So you haven't found any of them?"

"No," Seiryuu replied. "Which is why it's important that I get on my way as soon as possible. My brother's life is at stake." 

The white-haired girl was silent for a moment. "Well, you won't heal faster than nature intended," she finally said. "Why don't you try getting some more sleep? I'll wake you up when lunch is ready, all right?"

Seiryuu was about to protest, but a yawn stifled it. "I guess it couldn't hurt," he said sheepishly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. 

Amanda sat with him until he was fast asleep. 

**Chapter Three**

_CRASH!_

"K'so!" 

The hushed curse that followed the sharp clang woke Seiryuu from his slumber. He looked around the room as best as he could, but couldn't see anyone. He could hear someone, however – and it seemed to be coming from the floor. Wincing, he pulled himself over onto his side to look over the edge…just as someone straightened up right next to the bed. 

"OW!" Seiryuu and the mysterious stranger exclaimed at the same time as their heads smacked together. The tray of dishes and food clattered again to the floor, and whatever hadn't spilled before now found a home with its fellow discarded food.

Seiryuu rubbed his head. "That hurt," he complained. "Who are you?" 

"This is the thanks I get for subbing for Mandy?" the stranger said at the same time. "Sheesh. I thought you were sleeping."

The voice was nearly identical to Amanda's, but with a sharper bite to it. This person spoke with a confidence and attitude that Amanda had not possessed during Seiryuu's conversation with her. Then he remembered that Amanda had said something about a sister. In the dimly lit room, Seiryuu could make out some similarities, but couldn't really see all that well. 

"Are you Amanda's sister?" he asked, lying back in bed. The sleep had done him good – with it being normal, it had given his powers time to rejuvenate and begin healing, something that hadn't been able to happen while unconscious. 

"Yeah, younger," the sister said. She looked down at the empty tray. "Well, I really hope you weren't looking forward to lunch or anything – 'cause it looks like the floor got your share. That armor of yours must've gotten knocked off the chair it was on – my foot throbs just thinking about it." 

Seiryuu looked skeptical. "Are you sure you weren't just not paying attention to where you were going?" 

Amanda's sister tossed her hair – which hung loose, as opposed to her sister's neat ponytail – over her shoulder irately. "Hey, I'm here to change your bandages, buddy. Better watch it or I'll make sure they stay on nice and _tight." She reached over for the light on the table next to the bed. _

Seiryuu shaded his eyes as the light flared on suddenly, then looked at his new attendee. "By the Gods!" he exclaimed. "I thought you said you were _younger than Amanda!" _

"I am," she said, "by four minutes. I'm Samantha, by the way. What, Mandy didn't mention she had a twin sister?"

"She failed to add that little fact," muttered Seiryuu. Now that he saw Samantha in full light, he could fairly say that she was a nearly exact copy of her sister – except for her hair. It was loose, cut in a more wild style, and as black as Amanda's was white. "Is that hair natural?"

"Yeah," Samantha said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to the bed. She poured fresh water into the basin on the night table. "The village calls us 'opposite-negative' twins. 'Cause we look exactly alike except for our coloring, white and black. And our personalities. Everyone says I'm the wilder twin. I say Nee-chan takes the 'older sister' thing a little too far sometimes. Ever since our parents died, she feels like she has to run everything: the boarding house, the farm, and the family."

"Your parents died?" Seiryuu asked without thinking.

"When we were four," replied Samantha. "Our aunt lived with us for awhile, but she died a couple years ago. Left us a pretty decent inheritance, which is the only reason we were able to keep this old place. It's been in the family for years." She began to unwrap the bandages around Seiryuu's help, and Seiryuu couldn't help but blush. Which was weird, considering that Sashi and Taiitsukun used to bandage him up all the time. But then, Taiitsukun was his surrogate mother, and Sashi was like a little sister. Neither of which qualified for Samantha. 

"Oh," he said somewhat lamely. 

She paused and frowned at him. "What, you don't agree? Well excuse us for not living up to the great Seiryuu-seikun's expectations." 

Her attitude was really beginning to annoy him. "It's not like that!" he protested. "It's just that…at least you were lucky enough to _know your parents before they died. My father was never in the picture, and my mother died giving birth to me and my twin brother."_

"You have a twin, too?" Samantha asked, her voice suddenly filled with interest. "Older or younger?"

"Older," Seiryuu replied. "We're the youngest in the family. We just turned eighteen a little while ago." 

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "What's your brother like?"

"Tenkou?" Seiryuu laughed, then winced as she touched a particularly tender spot. "Completely psychotic. He used to pluck the feathers out of Suzaku's stuffed peacocks when we were kids. I also remember a particularly amusing period when he had Byakko absolutely convinced that the ghost of this dead horse was haunting Mt. Taityoku, and he'd go around at night neighing underneath Byakko's window."

Samantha laughed sympathetically. "Geez. Poor Byakko."

"Poor Byakko my wings," Seiryuu snorted. "He got Tenkou back good. One night, Tenkou started neighing weird little threats like, 'You will neigh-ver get escape alive', and things like that. So Byakko, running on very little sleep, gets up and dumps a bucket of oats out the window right onto Tenkou's head. Those two haven't talked since." 

Samantha burst into peals of laughter, and pressed a little too hard on Seiryuu's ribcage. "Ouch!" he yelped.

"Sorry!" she said apologetically, immediately relieving the pressure. "I take it back – sounds like your brother got what was coming to him."

"Yeah," Seiryuu said, nodding. "But he's always been like that. All that did was put him and Byakko at odds. It didn't really matter much as we got older, though – Byakko was always off in his own world, and Tenkou was too busy trying to seduce the newest shrine maiden. And attempting to get me to do the same."

"Oh?" 

"I never went for that, though," Seiryuu said, shrugging. "I was never particularly close to Tenkou, outside of us being twins. It was Suzaku who was my real friend. He's a year older."

"He's the one you're trying to find, right?" Samantha asked. 

"I guess Amanda filled you in, huh?" Seiryuu asked. She nodded. "Did she mention that I was looking for seven warriors?" 

"From the stars," Samantha said, nodding. She bit her lip. "Uh, Seiryuu –"

"Sammy."

Samantha and Seiryuu looked over at the door, and saw Amanda silhouetted in the doorway. "Can we talk, Sammy?" Amanda asked.

Samantha immediately took on a guarded expression. "Of course," she said. She tightened the bandages and stood up. "Nice talking to you, Seiryuu. See ya." And she followed her sister out, closing the door behind her.

Seiryuu leaned back. _How can two people so alike be so very different? _

He wasn't entirely certain if he meant Samantha and Amanda, or himself and Tenkou.

**Chapter Four**

Amanda grabbed her sister's arm the minute they were in the hallway and dragged her into her room. "You were going to tell him!" Amanda hissed, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at her. 

Samantha pushed the door of the room closed and turned to her twin. "What's it matter to you if I was or not?" she demanded. "It's my destiny, Mandy, not yours. _I'm the one who inherited the power of Angle, remember? __I'm the Warrior of Suboshi, remember? Not you!"_

"Baka!" snapped Amanda. "If he finds out, then he'll make you go with him! And I'll be left by myself. You _promised that we'd never be separated."_

Samantha folded her arms over her chest and looked Amanda straight in the eye. "He's sincere, Amanda. I can tell. He's honestly looking for the warriors, not just for a selfish reason. He isn't like those morons in the past, looking for fame and fortune by being the one to posses the seven warriors. '_The Dragon shall descend from the Heavens, the Seven Stars shall be joined, and the Waters shall rise up to cleanse the world.' That's what Okaasan told us before she died, right?"_

"How can you be so sure?" demanded Amanda. "This is the first time you've spoken to him!" 

Samantha twisted a long strand of black hair around her finger. "I just know, Mandy," she said quietly. "Call is warrior's intuition or something. But I think that when Seiryuu has healed, and is ready to leave, I will leave with him. It's my destiny." She turned around and opened the door. "I'm sorry, Amanda," she said. Then she left the room.

Amanda stared at the closed door for a minute, then sank onto the bed. She reached over and removed a small piece of jewelry from a box on the table next to it. The small gold ring stared at her from her palm. She stared back, silently. 

Then she placed the ring back in the box, and knew that soon she would be saying good-bye to her sister. 

For good. 

**Chapter Five**

Tenkou sat in darkness, the only light in the room coming from the three orbs of red, green, and white. His older brothers. So peaceful, now. Byakko and Genbu had attempted to warn Suzaku, but they had been too late. Tenkou should have been pleased.

But he wasn't.

Seiryuu had been gone for nearly two weeks, now, and Tenkou had been unable to track his younger brother. He didn't like that. He enjoyed knowing where his twin was at all times. It reassured him that he would not have to place Seiryuu in a similar jail that housed the other three. Seiryuu, after all, still cared for him. Still loved him.

Still thought of him as one of them.

Oh, Suzaku had been civil enough. But Tenkou had known. The Red Phoenix had been jealous of Tenkou's bond with Seiryuu, and had done everything to lure the Blue Dragon away. For this reason, Tenkou hated the nineteen-year-old. 

And Byakko. He had never forgiven the White Tiger for that oat incident when they were children. The feminine one always took everything to heart. Tenkou hadn't meant anything by it – but had Byakko even bothered to listen? No. For this reason, Tenkou hated the twenty-year-old.

And Genbu. Genbu, as the oldest, had always acted to smug and self-assured. He thought that just because he was oldest, he could dictate the lives of his younger brothers. The Green Tortoise had kept a tight hold over Suzaku, Byakko, and Seiryuu until he left for Hokkan. But he had ignored Tenkou. For this reason, Tenkou hated the twenty-one-year-old. 

But he didn't not hate his twin. In fact, he yearned for his twin. He missed the sense of his brother's presence, missed him dearly. If only Seiryuu would return, and realize that without Suzaku and the other two, life would be so much better. It would just be the two of them! Perhaps then, Tenkou would draw Seiryuu into the web he had begun to weave, and the two brothers could finally find peace together. 

He decided to try one more time to locate Seiryuu. He approached the scrying crystal, and summoned the youkai. 

No sign.

Yet the youkai had picked up something interesting. A girl who had previously been undetectable was now detectable, due to an artifact she had once carried but no longer carried. And, one of them whispered to Tenkou, she had been responsible for destroying the specter in Konan. 

Perhaps this girl was the key to finding out why he could not track Seiryuu. 

With a new target in mind, Tenkou once again sent out the youkai, this time in search of this mysterious girl. 

**Chapter Six**

It was late that night when Samantha crept back down the hallway. The house was quiet, save for the ordinary sounds of the structure settling. Her sister hadn't left her room since their argument earlier. 

Seiryuu's door was slightly open, and Samantha pushed it open quietly, then shut it carefully behind her. The room was dark, and heavy, even breathing could be heard from the bed. 

She calmly lit the lantern next to the bed, shedding some light on the room. "Seiryuu," she whispered, touching his shoulder lightly. "Seiryuu, wake up."

"Hmm? Wha--?" He woke with a start, his voice husky with sleep. His eyes cracked open, and he recoiled from the light of the lantern. "Who…Samantha? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry for waking you," she said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "I have to talk to you, though."

"And this couldn't wait until morning?" he muttered, hoisting himself into a sitting position. Samantha was surprised to find that the movements didn't seem to hurt him all that much, even though he'd been in great pain earlier. 

"How fast are you healing?" she asked, curious.

"Faster than most humans," replied Seiryuu. "I've probably got a few more days to go. Then I'll be out of you and your sister's hair once and for all. Not that I'm not grateful for your help, but I do have places to go, and people to find." 

"How did you find out about the Eastern Warriors?" Samantha asked. "It isn't a legend a lot of people are versed in. Most people know whispers of it, but not to the extent that you seem familiar with."

"Hand me that satchel over there," Seiryuu said, pointing to where his gear was piled up.

Samantha reached over and did so. 

Seiryuu untied the satchel and removed the only item in it – a coiled scroll made of blue cloth. Samantha's breath caught in her throat. 

_"A scroll, Samantha. Each place has one. Ours was entrusted to Konan for safekeeping, and Tail keeps Hokkan's safe. Whoever gains the scroll will be the Chosen One, my daughter."_

_"But why don't we have to scroll, Mama?"_

_"Because we would be eager to find the Chosen One, and might entrust it to anyone. Someone of a separate constellation would not be as eager."_

"The Shadowland," breathed Samantha.

Seiryuu looked up at her sharply. "How did you know?" he asked quietly.

She blushed. "My mother had a friend who was a scholar," she lied. "She would tell me all about the ancient legends. The Shadowland Scroll was one of them."

"Well, if that scroll talks about the Warriors, I guess this is it," Seiryuu said. "She didn't tell me what it was called, and I can only read a portion of it. What else did your mother's friend tell you?"

"Um…" Samantha looked thoughtful. "Well, Mandy's better at that sort of thing than I am, although she's never been real interested in that legend. But I think she said that the scroll would give clues to the identities of the seven warriors, and then contain other information that the Chosen One – you, I guess – would be able to read over time. But the information wouldn't be complete, and the Four Gods would need to work together to make sense of the whole story." 

"That explains that, then," Seiryuu said, nodding. "I was given this in Konan, and it tells about the Warriors – their powers, their symbols, the order they'll arrive in, and so on. It says Angle will be the first, but I haven't found her yet."

Samantha nodded. "I'd like to help you, if I can," she said. "Who knows – maybe she's closer than you think." 

**Chapter Seven **

Sunlight streamed in through the window in the room, and Samantha covered her eyes as it fell across her face. "Lovely wake up call," she groaned as she straightened up in the chair. "When did I fall asleep?"

"Morning," Seiryuu said from the bed. 

She stretched and stifled a yawned. "How long have you been up?"

"I fell asleep again shortly after you," he said, "and woke up about an hour ago." The Shadowland scroll was unrolled in front of him, and he looked even better than earlier. His wounds were definitely healing at a rapid pace. "I've been trying to do a little reading." 

"Oh yeah?" Samantha leaned forward and propped her arms up on the bed, resting her chin in her hands. "What did you find?"

"Just some random information," replied Seiryuu. He pointed at a passage below the descriptions of the warriors. "I was finally able to read this a few minutes ago, but I can't figure out what it means." 

"What's it say?" Samantha asked. "I don't recognize the language."

"It's the language of my mother's people," replied Seiryuu. "Taiitsukun gave my brothers and I my mother's belongings, and including a diary written in these runes. I've never been able to read them until now."

"So, what's it say?" repeated Samantha. 

"'_Darkness falls, and thorns of danger arrive'," he read. "I have no idea what that means."_

"Clueless here," replied Samantha. She glanced at the door. "Sounds like Mandy's already up. I better go help with the chores before she throws a fit. We had an argument last night."

"Everything okay?" Seiryuu inquired. 

"Yeah," Samantha said uncertainly. "Mandy just…well, I've been thinking of going on a little journey, and Mandy doesn't want me to go." 

"Oh." He turned back to the scroll, frowning as he mouthed the words again. 

"I guess I'll be going now," she said, glancing at him. He didn't seem to have heard her. 

_Stupid garden, Samantha thought. She wanted to find out more about the Blue Dragon God before she made her decision, and she'd thought she'd been making progress. But he hadn't even noticed that she had left. _

Amanda was in the barn, and the garden lay between the house and the barn. Samantha sighed and picked up her basket to start her morning ritual of weeding the crops. "Why couldn't it be _Mandy's turn to do garden duty?" she muttered as she began pulling up weeds. _

In the middle of the garden, one weed began to give off a strange glow. 

And then it began to grow. 

**Chapter Eight **

Amanda was not a happy worker. Samantha had been in Seiryuu's room when she'd woken up, making it pretty clear that her twin's mind was already made up. Now she was ignoring her chores as well. Amanda threw new bedding into one of the horse stalls, and looked out the barn window.

Samantha was working on the edge of the garden, to her surprise. Maybe her mind wasn't as made up as it seemed, after all. Amanda decided that since she was almost finished with the barn, she'd go out and offer to help Samantha, and maybe they could talk about what was going on. 

Then Amanda noticed something odd. 

Samantha couldn't see it from where she stood, but Amanda could see it clearly. A large, bulbous mass growing in the middle of the garden, and getting bigger with each second. As Amanda stared at it, with growing dread, long arms with clawed hands began to form from the mass, green and slimy-looking, like weeds. A head followed, and then a body. 

"SAMANTHA!" Amanda shouted, rushing to the open barn door. She didn't know what this thing was – but she knew it was trouble. 

And her sister was only a few feet away from it.

Samantha turned around, towards Amanda, towards the creature, just as the creature whipped around its arm, elongating it, and slamming it into Samantha. The black-haired girl gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, and she hit the ground, hard. 

"_SAMMY!" shrieked Amanda. _

"_Dragon God," rasped the youkai, for that was what it was. "__Give me…the Dragon God!" _

_Seiryuu, Amanda thought. __It's after Seiryuu. While she herself wasn't thrilled with Seiryuu, she didn't dislike the guy, either. And he was the chosen protector of Kutou, her homeland. _

Hell if she'd just go ahead and give him up when he was injured. 

Amanda reached behind her and removed a large stick that was leaning against the wall of the barn. The staff ended in a sharp point, and was kept there for self-defense. 

"Hey, creep!" Amanda shouted, stepping out of the barn. The youkai paused its descent on Samantha's unmoving form. "Get away from my sister!" 

Snarling, the plant youkai turned to face Amanda. "_Fear," it rasped. "__Feed me with fear!" _

Amanda took a deep breath, and forced herself to focus. Being afraid would do none of them any good. _Is this what Samantha is supposed to fight for the rest of her life? she thought. __Why? Why does it have to be my sister?!_

The youkai shot its rubbery arms towards her, too fast for her to move. 

"Amanda, MOVE!" 

She threw herself to the side just as a brilliant flash of blue light erupted from the house and slammed into the youkai, throwing it into the barn. Amanda sat up and gasped in relief, then ran towards her sister as fast as she can. 

"How is she?" asked Seiryuu, never taking his eyes off the barn. 

"She'll be fine," Amanda said. Samantha was breathing, and was even conscious. "She just got the wind knocked out of her."

"Stay here," Seiryuu said as he began to move towards the barn. 

The youkai was still alive. 

**Chapter Nine**

Somehow, by pure luck, Seiryuu managed to get all the way to the front door of the barn before the youkai attacked again. And because he got to the door, he was able to see the attack coming and shield himself. Still, while the tentacle slamming into him didn't hurt, the landing from the fall _did. Seiryuu winced as he landed hard on his arm – the same freakin' arm that was always getting injured. _

_K'so! he cursed silently. The youkai stepped out of the barn, all tentacles and leaves and slimy green ooze. Sharp thorns protruded from the tentacles, and Seiryuu grimaced. Those would hurt if they hit him. _

He rolled over and pressed his hands against the ground. "Mizu," he whispered. "Mizu. Water, come forth. Cleanse this demon with your purity." 

That little incantation used up the last of his strength, and he was barely able to keep from falling asleep. If that didn't work, he was doomed. He watched the youkai carefully.

Then, slowly, the ground beneath the youkai began to get soggier and soggier. The water in the ground was gathering in one spot, underneath the youkai, absorbing it, swallowing it. Seiryuu prayed to his mother's spirit and to the heavens that this would work. The youkai was sinking fast. 

And then, to his shock and horror, it began to grow. 

_It was absorbing the water!_

Seiryuu nearly smacked himself. _Of course this would happen! Plants survived on water! And this youkai was definitely made up of plants!_

He had just used the last of his strength, and had probably made the entire situation worse. 

The youkai was twice as big as it had originally been. It once again turned to Seiryuu, and began advancing. "_Dragon God," it rasped. "__Must…kill…Dragon God!" _

Seiryuu braced himself for the impact that he knew would come. 

Someone stood in front of him. 

"Samantha!" Seiryuu gasped, looking up at the young woman. Samantha was standing there, a defiant and confident expression on her face. "Are you crazy? Get out of the way!" 

"I've defeated plenty of youkai like him," Samantha said confidently. "He will be no different." She held out her hand, and Seiryuu caught a glimpse of a ring, gold with a sapphire dragon inlaid on it. He remembered seeing a ring of similar design on Leviathan's hand, only a couple weeks before. But there had been a difference…he couldn't place what it was. 

"Samantha…" he whispered.

"Go back to your master, and tell him this!" Samantha shouted to the youkai. "The Eastern  Star Warriors will not sit back and watch your race take over this land quietly! **Stars of the Eastern Heavens, I summon thy power! Suboshi!" **

There was a brilliant flash of blue light, and then Samantha wasn't quite Samantha anymore. She still _looked like Samantha, but she radiated a dark power. A huge pair of black wings protruded from her back, a blue symbol was apparent on her shoulder: Angle. One of the seven constellations in the Blue Dragon Constellation Cluster. _

It was the same person who had saved Seiryuu's life just a week earlier. 

_Samantha was a Star Warrior?! _

The youkai hissed loudly. "_You killed my brother!" it hissed. "__You killed him with his own sword! __You will die!" Tentacles thrashing, it charged towards Seiryuu and Samantha, screaming loudly. _

Samantha gritted her teeth. "I warned you," she whispered. "RYUUSEISUI!" 

There was a crash as a window broke in the house, and a huge throwing blade – the very one that had killed the sword-fighting youkai – sliced through the air. Samantha closed her eyes and muttered to herself, then pointed at the youkai. "There is your target! Slash, blade of darkness! Slash through all!" 

The blade abruptly changed course and slammed into the youkai, slicing it up. The youkai screamed in pain as the Comet Blade came back again and again. Seiryuu closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to watch the total carnage. 

When the screams died, he looked.

The youkai was in little pieces, shriveling up and dying. The Comet Blade had sliced its heart. 

Amanda was already running towards them.

Samantha fell to her knees, thoroughly exhausted. The Comet Blade fell to the ground, and her wings drew back into her body. The symbol of Angle disappeared. 

"Samantha," whispered Seiryuu. 

**Chapter Ten**

_Two days later…_

"Samantha, are you sure about this?" Amanda asked, looking hard at her twin. 

Samantha nodded, her black hair whipping around her face. "I'm positive, Mandy," she said. "I _need to do this. This is what I've been waiting for my whole life." _

Amanda sighed. "I'm…going to miss you." 

"I know." The two sisters hugged. "I'll miss you, too, Mandy." 

"Samantha!" 

"Coming, Seiryuu!" She picked up her bag and glanced once more at Amanda, smiling slightly. Then she headed out the door. Amanda followed as far as the doorway. 

Seiryuu had already mounted his horse, having fully recovered from his wounds, despite the youkai attack earlier. Samantha's own mount was waiting patiently for her as she strapped the saddlebag to the saddle and then hoisted herself up. Strapped to her back was her large throwing blade. 

"Off we go," she said, smiling at Seiryuu. "Who knows…maybe we'll find the next warrior soon." 

He smiled back. "I hope so. I'm a lot more confident this time." He clucked to his stallion, shook the reins, and headed down the trail, waving good-bye to Amanda. Samantha followed behind him. 

***

"'And the Dragon God and the Eastern Warrior of Angle began their journey together, heading deeper into the heart of Kutou,'" Tetsuya read. He looked up from the book at Keisuke, who had been listening quietly the whole time. "Wow. This is getting surreal."

"I know," Keisuke said, frowning. "There's something about all of this that worries me. This book seems to be almost identical to the Universe of the Four Gods, only instead of priestesses, it's the gods."

"And nobody gets sucked into the story," Tetsuya replied. He took a sip of water from the nearly empty glass beside him. "Keisuke, what's going on here? Inosuke Okuda never mentioned anything about a second book, not in any of the information we found. Maybe, since it didn't draw in the reader, he didn't think of it as a threat."

"Or maybe he never knew about it," Keisuke replied. "The Shadowland came before the Universe of the Four Gods, which means it's even older. I wonder _how much older it is."_

"I'll tell you what I wonder," Tetsuya said. "You said you got this off an online bookstore. I want to know how you ended up with the authentic copy, rather than the translation. Because this book is definitely written in Ancient Chinese." 

"I know," muttered Keisuke. He turned his computer and started to boot it up. Tetsuya returned to the book. 

There was one more passage left to this part. 

*** 

Amanda sat on the porch, still watching the road that her sister and Seiryuu had disappeared down. As she got up to go back into the house, she paused. For a brief moment, she could almost hear the sound of someone talking, calling her name. It seemed to be coming from the west. 

An hour later, the house was bordered up tight, and arrangements had been made with the neighbors to look after the crops and the animals. So Amanda walked along the road, towards the west, away from Kutou, with only a small bag. 

And a wooden flute, strapped carefully to her side. 

**To be continued in: **

**Blue Dragon Beginning #3**

**_The Illusion Master_******


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